Forms: 4 loȝly, louheliche, lowelyche, laweliche, 4–5 louli, -y, 4–6 lowely, 5 loughly, louely, 5–6 lawly, 6 Sc. lau-, lawle, -lie, 6–7 lowlie, 9 Sc. laighly, leuchly, 4– lowly. [f. LOW a. + -LY2.]
1. In a lowly manner (= LOWLILY); humbly, reverently; modestly. In to bow lowly with mixture of sense 2.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 614. Lenge a lyttel with þy lede I loȝly biseche.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 2062, Ariadne. But I yow serve as louly In that place.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. X. 141. Lewede eremytes, That loken ful louheliche to lacchen mennes almesse.
14[?]. Why I can’t be a Nun, 161, in E. E. P. (1862), 142. I, as lowly as I can, Wolle do yow servyse nyȝt and day.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. ii. 24. To quham as than lawle thus Juno said [etc.].
1529. Frith, Antithesis, Wks. (1573), 98/1. Christ full lowly and meekely washed his disciples feete.
1588. A. King, trans. Canisius’ Catech., 79. We maist humblie, and laulie prosterne our selfs.
1629. Milton, Nativity Ode, 25. O run, prevent them with thy humble ode, And lay it lowly at his blessed feet. Ibid. (1667), P. L., V. 144. Lowly they bow’d adoring, and began Thir Orisons.
1802. Wordsw., Farewell, 28. A gentle Maid, whose heart is lowly bred.
1844. Disraeli, Coningsby, III. ii. As he bowed lowly before the Duchess.
2. In a low manner or degree.
a. In a low position or posture; along the ground. In examples from 18th c. there is mixture of sense 1.
13[?]. Guy Warw. (A.), 1384. So wele his strok he sett That his heued fram þe bodi flei, He ȝede him laweliche neye.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., II. i. 24. A pleasant dale that lowly lay Betwixt two hills.
1784. Cowper, Task, III. 663. Some clothe the soil that feeds them, far diffused And lowly creeping. Ibid. (1785), Poplar Field, 14. I must ere long lie as lowly as they [felled trees].
1795. Burns, Song, ‘Their groves o’ sweet myrtles,’ Where the blue-bell and gowan lurk lowly unseen.
1811. A. Scott, Poems, 144 (Jam.). Auld Reekie stands sweet on the east sloping dale, An’ leuchly lurks Leith, where the trading ships sail.
b. In a low voice. Now only poet.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 314/2. Lowely, or softe yn voyce, submisse.
1810. Shelley, Zastrozzi, iv. Pr. Wks. 1888, I. 17. He sometimes spoke lowly to himself.
1839. Bailey, Festus (1852), 127. A maiden sat in her lonely bower Sadly and lowly singing.
1863. Woolner, My Beautiful Lady, 95. What art thou whispering lowly to thy babe, O wan girl-mother?
† c. In an inferior manner, meanly. Obs.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, II. ii. 3. I will show my selfe highly fed, and lowly taught.
d. With a low opinion, rare.
1742. Richardson, Pamela, III. 63. They always think highly of the beloved Object, and lowly of themselves.
1852. H. Newland, Lect. Tractarianism, ii. 68. ‘Why,’ said he [South], ‘the High Church are those who think highly of the Church, and lowly of themselves; the Low Church are those who think highly of themselves, and lowly of the Church.’
e. In a low degree. rare.
1870. Rolleston, Anim. Life, 30. The walls of the lung are but very lowly vascular.
3. Comb., as lowly-born, -cultivated, -organized.
1613. Shaks., Hen. VIII., II. iii. 19. Tis better to be *lowly borne … Then [etc.].
1872. F. W. Robertson, Hist. Ess., 234. We may long look in vain for the name of a lowly born man amongst the Roman magistracy.
1827. Keble, Chr. Y., 1st Sund. after Christm. ii. A sick man’s *lowly-breathed sigh.
1856. Kane, Arct. Expl., II. xxi. 212. That apathetic fatalism which belongs to all *lowly-cultivated races.
1859. Darwin, Orig. Spec., iv. (1873), 99. *Lowly organised forms appear to have been preserved to the present day.
