FromMiddle Englishmeek,meke,meoc, unknown origin, likely related toOld Englishsmēag(“subtle, stealthy, etc.”) andsmūgan and possibly a borrowing fromOld Norsemjúkr(“soft; meek”), fromProto-Germanic*meukaz,*mūkaz(“soft; supple”), fromProto-Indo-European*mewg-,*mewk-(“slick, slippery; to slip”).
Cognate withSwedish andNorwegian Nynorskmjuk(“soft”),Norwegian Bokmålmyk(“soft”), andDanishmyg(“supple”),Dutchmuik(“soft, overripe”), dialectalGermanmauch(“dry and decayed, rotten”),Mauche(“malanders”). Compare as wellWelshmwyth(“soft, weak”),Latinēmungō(“to blow one's nose”),Tocharian Amuk-(“to let go, give up”),Lithuanianmùkti(“to slip away from”),Old Church Slavonicмъчати(mŭčati,“to chase”),Ancient Greekμύσσομαι(mússomai,“to blow the nose”),Sanskritमुञ्चति(muñcati,“to release, let loose”).
meek (comparativemeeker,superlativemeekest)
- Humble, non-boastful,modest,meager, orself-effacing.
- Submissive,dispirited, cowed.
humble, modest, or self-effacing
- Bulgarian:мек (bg)(mek),кротък (bg)(krotǎk)
- Czech:skromný (cs),mírný (cs),pokorný (cs)
- Dutch:gedwee (nl),zachtmoedig (nl)
- Finnish:nöyrä (fi),vaatimaton (fi)
- French:humble (fr),modeste (fr)
- Galician:modesto
- German:sanftmütig,bescheiden (de),zaghaft (de),zurückhaltend (de),fromm (de),demütig (de),sanft (de),hold (de),lammfromm (de),moderat (de)
- Greek:ταπεινός (el)(tapeinós),σεμνός (el)(semnós),πράος (el)(práos)
- Hungarian:szerény (hu)
- Indonesian:rendah hati (id)
- Italian:modesto (it),timido (it),introverso (it),schivo (it),pavido (it)
- Macedonian:кроток(krotok)
- Maori:māhaki,haki
- Norwegian:blyg
- Old Church Slavonic:кротъкъ(krotŭkŭ)
- Persian:فروتن (fa)(forutan)
- Polish:cichy (pl)(biblical),pokorny (pl),arcyskromny (pl)
- Portuguese:modesto (pt)
- Romanian:umil (ro),modest (ro)
- Russian:кро́ткий (ru)(krótkij),мягкий (ru)(mjaxkij)
- Scottish Gaelic:macanta
- Spanish:modesto (es)
- Swedish:ödmjuk (sv)
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submissive, dispirited
- Asturian:mansu (ast)
- Bulgarian:смирен (bg)(smiren),покорен (bg)(pokoren)
- Czech:poddajný (cs),pokorný (cs),mírný (cs),tichý (cs)
- Finnish:alistuva (fi)
- French:soumis (fr) m,faible (fr)
- Galician:manso,dondo,submiso
- German:unterwürfig,kleinlaut (de),widerstandslos (de),duldsam (de),ergeben (de),gottergeben (de)
- Greek:πειθήνιος (el)(peithínios)
- Hungarian:alázatos (hu),beletörődő (hu)
- Italian:rassegnato (it),remissivo (it),sommesso (it)
- Persian:سربهزیر(sar-be-zir)
- Polish:arcyskromny (pl)
- Portuguese:submisso (pt),manso (pt)
- Romanian:supus (ro)
- Russian:безро́потный (ru)(bezrópotnyj),поко́рный (ru)(pokórnyj)
- Spanish:humilde (es),resignado (es),sumiso (es),manso (es)
- Swedish:undergiven (sv)
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meek (third-person singular simple presentmeeks,present participlemeeking,simple past and past participlemeeked)
- (US) Totame; tobreak (a horse)
