low

{{11}}low (adj.) "not high," late 13c., from lah (late 12c.), "not rising much, being near the base or ground" (of objects or persons); "lying on the ground or in a deep place" (late 13c.), from O.N. lagr "low," or a similar Scandinavian source (Cf. Swed. lôg, Dan. lav), from P.Gmc. *lega- "lying flat, low" (Cf. O.Fris. lech, M.Du. lage, Du. laag "low," dialectal Ger. läge "flat"), from PIE *legh- "to lie" (see LIE (Cf. lie) (v.²)). Meaning "humble in rank" is from c.1200; "undignified" is from 1550s; sense of "dejected, dispirited" is attested from 1737; meaning "coarse, vulgar" is from 1759. In reference to sounds, "not loud," also "having a deep pitch," it is attested from c.1300. Of prices, from c.1400. In geographical usage, low refers to the part of a country near the sea-shore (c.1300; e.g. Low Countries "Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg," 1540s). As an adverb c.1200, from the adjective.

{{12}}low (adv.) early 13c., from LOW (Cf. low) (adj.). Of voices or sounds, from c.1300.

{{12}}low (n.¹) sound made by cows, 1540s, from LOW (Cf. low) (v.).

{{13}}low (n.²) “hill,” obsolete except in place names, O.E. hlaw “hill, mound,” especially “barrow,” related to hleonian “to lean” (see LEAN (Cf. lean) (v.)). Cf. L. clivus “hill” from the same PIE root.

{{14}}low (v.) O.E. hlowan "make a noise like a cow," from P.Gmc. *khlo- (Cf. M.Du. loeyen, Du. loeien, O.Low Franconian luon, O.H.G. hluojen), from onomatopoeic PIE root *kele- (2) "to shout" (see CLAIM (Cf. claim) (v.)).