humble 
3. To make humble or lowly in feeling; bring 
down the pride or vanity of; make meek and 
submissive ; humiliate : often used reflexively. 
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of 
God, that he may exalt you. 1 Pet. v. 6. 
They [the lords] humble themselves to the King, and 
crave Pardon for that they had done, which they obtained. 
Baker, Chronicles, p. 109. 
= Syn. Debase, Degrade, etc. See abase. 
humblebee (huin'bl-be), . [< ME. humbylbec, 
hombulbe, E. dial, also hummobee; (AS. not 
found) = D. hommelbij = Dan. humlcbi, humble- 
bee ; not directly compounded of humble 1 , hum, 
+ oee 1 , the simple noun "humble, a humble- 
bee, being older (OHG.) ; ME. not found alone, 
OSc. hummel, a drone, = OD. hommel (equiv. 
to bommel = E. bumblebee), a humblebee. a 
drone, a wasp, = OHG. humbal, MHG. humbel, 
hummel, Or. hummel, humblebee, drone, = Dan. 
humle = Sw. humla, humblebee. The mb in 
OHG. humbal can hardly be the ordinary dis- 
similation of mm as in humble 1 , v., humble 2 , 
humble 3 , though the word cannot well be sep- 
arated in its origin from the imitative base 
hum 1 . Cf. bumblebee.] Same as bumblebee. 
Kill me a red-hipped humble-bee, on the top of a thistle. 
Shak., M. N. D., iv. 1. 
The young humble bee . . . breeds in long grass. 
/. Walton, Complete Angler, p. 70. 
Burly, dozing humble-bee ! 
Where thou art is clime for me. 
Emerson, The Humble-Bee. 
humbleflcation (hum"- or um"bl-fi-ka'shon). n. 
[Irreg. < humble 3 + -fication.] Humility." [Lu- 
dicrous and rare.] 
The Prospectus . . . has about it a sort of unmanly 
humbleficatwn, which is not sincere. 
Southey, Letters (1809), IL 120. 
humbleheadt, . [ME., < humble 3 + -head: see 
-hood.] Humble estate or condition. Chaucer. 
humblelyt, adv. A Middle English form of 
humbly. 
humble-mouthed (hum'bl-moutht), a. Hum- 
ble in speech. 
You are meek, and humble-mouth' d. 
Shak., Hen. VIII., il 4. 
humbleness (hum'- or um'bl-nes), n. [< hum- 
ble 3 + -ness.] The state of being humble or 
low; humility; meekness. 
For my part, I am rather, with all subjected humble- 
ness, to thank her excellencies. Sir P. Sidney, Arcadia, i. 
Her dress . . . 
Is homely fashioned to express 
A wandering Pilgrim's humbleness. 
Wordsworth, White Doe of Rylstone, vii. 
humble-pie (hum'bl-pi'), . [< humble-s, for 
^^mble-s, orig. numble-s, q. v., + pie 1 .] A pie 
made of the umbles or numbles (that is, the 
heart, liver, kidneys, and entrails) of the deer. 
To eat humble-pie, to submit tamely to insult or hu- 
miliation ; apologize or humiliate one's self abjectly : in 
allusion to the humble-pie, or pie made of the urables or 
numbles of a deer, formerly, at hunting feasts, set before 
the huntsman and his followers, but with further and now 
exclusive allusion to the adjective humble. 
" You drank too much wine last night, and disgraced 
yourself, sir," the old soldier said. "You must get up 
and eat humble-pie this morning, my boy." 
Thackeray, Newcomes, xiv. 
Your "You'll see nex' tune ! " an' "Look out bumby ! " 
Most oilers ends in eatin' umble-pie. 
Lowell, Biglow Papers, 2d ser., p. 61. 
humble-plant (hum'bl-plant), n. The common 
sensitive-plant, Mimosa pudica. 
humbler (hum'- or um'bler), n. One who or 
that which humbles ; one who reduces pride or 
mortifies. 
humbles (um'- or hum'blz), n. pi. An erro- 
neous form of nmbles, originally numbles. See 
humble-pie and numbles. 
humblesset, n. [ME., also humblis; < OF. hum- 
blece, humblesse, humility, < humble, humble : 
see humble 3 .] Humbleness; humility; low obei- 
sance. Chaucer. 
Go, litille bill, with all humblis 
Vnto my lady, of womanhede the flonre, 
And saie hire howe [a] newe Troiles lithe In distrej 
All onely for hire sake. 
Political Poeme, etc. (ed. Furnivall), p. 44. 
With faire fearefull humblesse towards him shee came. 
Spenser, F. Q., I. iii. 28. 
humblessot, An obeisance : a jocular form 
of humblesse. Davies. 
He kissed his hands thrice and made as many humbles- 
KO ere he would finger it. 
Nashe, Lenten Stuffe (Harl. Misc., VI. 172). 
humbling^ (hum'bling), n. [< ME. humbeling, 
humbling, verbal n. of humbelen, humblen, hum, 
humble : see humble 1 .] A humming. 
Lyke the last humblynge 
After the clappe of a thundring. 
Chaucer, House of Fame, 1. 1039. 
2915 
humbling 2 t (hum'- or um'bliug), n. [Verbal n. 
of humble 3 , v.] Humiliation. 
I like these tears well, and this humbling also. 
Beau, and Fl., Scornful Lady, iv. 1. 
humblingly (hum'- or um'bling-li), adv. In a 
humbling or humiliating manner. 
humbly (hum'- or um'bli), adv. [< ME. hum- 
bliche, humeliche, humblely; < humble 3 + -ly 2 .] 
In a humble manner ; with modest submissive- 
ness ; with humility. 
A warrior, with his shield of pride 
Cleaving humbly to his side, 
And hands in resignation prest, 
I 'ul HI to palm, on his tranquil breast. 
Wordsworth, White Doe of Rylstone, i. 
Humboldt blue. Same as spirit-blue. 
humboldtilite (hum'bol-ti-lit), n. [Irreg. < 
Humboldt (Baron Alexander von Humboldt 
(1769-1859), the German naturalist) + -lite. < 
Gr. Was, stone.] A variety of melilite ; a sili- 
cate of aluminium and iron, belonging to the 
vesuvianite group. 
humboldtine (hum'bol-tin), n. [< Humboldt + 
-ine 2 .] A native oxalate of the protoxid of iron. 
humboldtite (hum'bol-tlt), . [< Humboldt + 
-tie 3 .] Same as datolite : a name given by LeVy 
to crystals from Tyrol, on the supposition that 
they differed from ordinary datolite in form. 
humbug (hum 'bug), n. [First in use about 
1735-40, as a piece of fashionable slang, with 
exactly its present sense : but Dean Milles de- 
fines it (about 1760) as "a false alarm, a bug- 
bear," appar. a more orig. sense; < hum 2 , a 
dial, and slang term, delude, impose on, cajole, 
+ bug 1 , a specter, goblin (see hum 2 and bug 1 ) ; 
but, as in other slang terms, little regard was 
paid to the elements of which it is formally 
composed. The use of humbug in ref . to a per- 
son is more recent ; cf. fraud, similarly used 
in colloquial speech.] 1. A trick; an impo- 
sition, especially an imposition perpetrated un- 
der fair and honorable pretenses; a hoax. 
There is a word very much in vogue with the people 
of taste and fashion, which, though it has not even the 
-his peace will pro 
humbug upon the nation. These theatrical managers 
humbug the town damnably I" Humbug is neither an 
English word, nor a derivative from any other language. 
It is indeed a blackguard sound, made use of by most 
people of distinction ! It is a fine make-weight in con- 
versation, and some great men deceive themselves so 
egregiously as to think they mean something by it 1 
The Student (1751X II. 41. (Toad.) 
I remember the origin of that word humbug, which has 
reigned in high vogue for several years, but I hope this 
will not prove another humbug. 
British Mag., April, 1763, p. 642. 
The great and illustrious humbug of ancient history 
was The Eleusinian Mysteries. 
De Quincey, Secret Societies, i. 
2. A spirit of deception or imposition ; false- 
ness; hollowness; pretense; sham: as, there is 
a great deal of humbug about him. 3. An im- 
postor; a cheat; a deceitful fellow; a person 
given to cajolery, flattery, or specious stories. 
In reading it [ " Gammer Gnrton's Needle "] one feels that 
he is at least a man among men, and not a humbug among 
humbugs. Lowell, Among my Books, 2d ser., p. 164. 
4. A form of nippers for grasping the cartilage 
of the nose in refractory cattle. E. H. Knight. 
5. A kind of candy. See the extract. [Prov. 
Eng.] 
He had provided himself with a paper of humbugs for 
the child humbugs being the North-country term for 
certain lumps of toffy, well flavored with peppermint 
Mrs. Oaskell, Sylvia's Lovers, xliii. 
humbug (hum 'bug), t'.j pret. and pp. hum- 
bugged, ppr. humbugging. [< humbug, n.] I. 
trans. To deceive by a false pretense; impose 
upon ; cajole ; hoax. 
With other flue things, 
Such as Kings say to Kings 
When each tries to humbug his dear Royal Brother, in 
Hopes by such "gammon " to take one another in. 
Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, II. 800. 
II. intrans. To practise deceit or trickery. 
'Twixt nations and parties, and state politicians, 
Prim shop-keepers, jobbers, smooth lawyers, physicians ; 
Of worth and of wisdom the trial and test 
Is mark ye, my friends ! who shall humbug the best. 
Brookes, Epilogue on Humbugging. 
humbugable (hum'bug-a-bl), a. [< humbug, v., 
+ -able.] Capable of being humbugged; gul- 
lible. [Bare.] 
My charity does not extend so far as to believe that any 
reasonable man (humbuggable as the animal is) can have 
been so humbugged. Southey, Letters (1826), III. 488. 
humbugger (hum'bug-er), n. One who hum- 
bugs. 
humectation 
humbuggery (hum'bug-er-i), M. |_< humbug + 
-ery.~\ TChe practice of humbug; false pretense ; 
imposition. 
humbuzz (hum'buz), . [< hum + buzz.] 1. A 
cockchafer, Melolonthn nilijaris. [Prov. Eng.] 
2. A thin piece of wood with a notched edge, 
which, being swung round swiftly on a string, 
gives a humming or buzzing sound; a bull- 
roarer. [Prov. Eng.] 
hum-cup (hum'kup), n. Strong ale. [Prov. 
Eng.] 
Tis a barrel then of hum-cup which we call the black ram. 
Sussex Sheepshearing Song, quoted by Bickerdyke. 
humdrum (hum'drum), a. and n. [In form a 
compound of hum 1 and drum 1 , perhaps orig. 
drone 1 , being thus in effect a redupl. of hum*, 
1. e. ' humming,' droning, monotonous.] I. a. 
Dull; commonplace; homely; tedious. 
Shall we, quoth she, stand still hum-drum, 
And see stout bruin, all alone, 
By numbers basely overthrown ? 
S. Butler, Hudibras, I. ill. 112. 
Yet am I by no means certain that she would take me 
with the impediment of our friends' consent; a regular 
humdrum wedding, and the reversion of a good fortune 
on my side. Sheridan, The Rivals, U. 1. 
Every one knows that at the age of fifty a plodding, hum - 
drum, methodical printer [Richardson] . . . prpved him- 
self an original genius. (Quarterly Rev., CLXIII. 45. 
H. n. 1. A droning tone of voice; monoto- 
nous or tedious talk. 
I am frequently forced to go to my harpsichord to keep 
me awake, and to silence his humdrum. 
Richardson, Clarissa Harlowe, III. 191. 
2. Monotony; tediousness; ennui. 
There is as regards the more definite constituents of 
the field of consciousness a close resemblance between 
natural sleepiness and the state of monotonous humdrum 
we call tedium or ennui. J. Ward, Encyc. Brit., XX. 71. 
3f. A dull, tedious fellow ; a bore. 
I scorn it, I, so I do, to be a consort for every hum-drum. 
B. Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, L 1. 
4. A small, low three-wheeled cart, drawn usu- 
ally by one horse. [Prov. Eng.] 
humdrum (hum'drum), v. i. pret. and pp. hum- 
drummed, ppr. huindrumming. [< humdrum, a.] 
To pass the time in a dull manner. 
humdudgeon (hum'duj-on), . [< hum 1 + 
dudgeon 2 .] A complaint or outcry without suf- 
ficient reason. [Scotch.] 
I would never be making a humdudgeon about a scart 
on the pow. Scott, Guy Mannering, xxiii. 
humectt (hu-mekf), r. t. [< F. humecter = Pr. 
Sp. Pg. numectar = It. umettare, < L. humectare, 
correctly umectare, moisten, wet, < humectus, 
correctly umectus, of a moist nature, moist, 
damp, < humere, correctly umere, be moist : see 
humid.] To moisten; wet; water. [Rare.] 
Galen wyll not permytte that pure wyne, without alaye 
of water, shulde in any wise be gyuen to chyldren, for as 
much as it humecteth the body, or maketh it moyster and 
hotter than is conueniente. 
Sir T. Elyot, The Governour, i. 11. 
humectantt (hu-mek'tant), a. and n. [= F. 
humectant = Sp. Pg. humectante = It. umettante, 
< L. humectan(t-)s, umectan(t-)s, ppr. of humec- 
tare, umectare, moisten: see humect.'] I. a. 
Moistening; diluent. 
Fumes and odours, passing so easily through the air, will 
very naturally insinuate into their vehicles also ; which 
fumes, il they be grosser and humectant, may raise that di- 
versification of touch which we mortals call tasting ; If 
more subtile and dry, that which we call smelling. 
Dr. H. More, Immortal, of Soul, Hi. 4. 
II. n. A substance regarded as tending to 
increase the fluidity of the blood, 
humectatet (hu-mek'tat), v. t. [< L. humecttt- 
tus, umectatus, pp. of humectare, umectare, mois- 
ten: see humect.] Same as humect. 
Native Lucca olives afford [an oyl[ fit to allay the tart- 
ness of vinegar and other acids, yet gently to warm and 
humectate where it passes. Evelyn, Acetaria. 
humectation (hu-mek-ta'shon), n. [= F. hu- 
mectation = Pr. humectacio ="Sp. humeetacion = 
Pg. humectacSo = It. umettazione, < LL. humec- 
tatio(n-), nmectatio(n-), < L. humectare, umectare, 
moisten: see humect.] 1. The act of moisten- 
ing, wetting, or watering. 
A garden that is watered with short and sudden showers 
is more uncertain in its fruits and beauties than if a rivu- 
let waters it with a perpetual distilling and constant hu- 
mectation. Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1836), I. 67. 
He would sometimes say " Drink, my children ; health 
consists in the suppleness and humectation of the parts ; 
drink water in great abundance ; it is an universal men- 
struum that dissolves all kinds of salt." 
Smollett, tr. of Gil Bias, a 8. 
2. In med.: (a) The preparing of a medicine 
by steeping it for a time in water, in order to 
soften and moisten it, to cleanse it, to prevent 
its subtile parts from being dissipated in grind- 
