I. ˈlō noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hlāw, hlǣw — more at law
archaic : hill , mound ; specifically : a burial mound
II. “ sometimes ˈlü verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English loowen, from Old English hlōwan; akin to Old Low Franconian luon, luogin to moo, Old High German hluoen to moo, Latin calare to call, summon, Greek kalein to call, Lithuanian kalbà language
intransitive verb
1. of cattle : to make the usually deep sustained sound characteristic of cows and other bovine animals : moo
2. : to make a sound suggestive of the lowing of cattle
that's what I would say, and they would low with pleasure — E.L.Burdick
transitive verb
: to utter with a lowing sound
III. noun
( -s )
: the usually deep sustained sound characteristic of cows and other bovine animals
the low of herds — William Wordsworth
IV. ˈlō adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English low, lowe, from lah, from Old Norse lāgr; akin to Old Frisian lēch low, Middle Dutch lage, Middle High German læge low, flat, Russian lezt' to climb, and perhaps to Old Norse liggja to lie — more at lie
1.
a.
(1) : having a relatively small upward extension : extending upward or outward relatively little
a man of low stature
a low building
a low wall
low relief
(2) : situated, placed, or passing relatively little above the line, point, or plane with relation to which reckoning is made
a low bridge
a bird of low flight
(3) now chiefly dialect : not tall : short
a low , fat man — Vance Randolph & G.P.Wilson
about forty, low , corpulent — Anne Royall
(4) : having a low neck : décolleté
a low dress
also : low-cut
a low shoe
(5) : articulated with a wide opening between the comparatively flat tongue and the palate : open
the sounds ä ȧ a are low
b.
(1) : situated relatively below the normal level, surface, or base of measurement, or the mean elevation
low ground
the low levels in a mine
(2) : of or relating to the lowlands especially near the seashore — now used chiefly in fixed phrases
the Low Countries
(3) : having less than or being below or farthest below the usual or normal height
the water is low in the reservoir
— compare low tide , low water
(4) : being near the horizon
the afternoon sun is low at four o'clock in winter
c.
(1) : dead , lifeless — now usually used in the phrase lay low
keen swords and sharp arrows laid the enemy low
(2) : prostrate — usually used in the phrase lay low
laid low for weeks by a severe illness
laid him low with one mighty stroke of his staff
(3) : abased , humbled — usually used in the phrase bring low
added that he kept a list of all his opponents and … would bring them low — Evelyn G. Cruickshanks
(4) : not prosperous : poor , embarrassed, backward
sought to account for the low state of the higher studies in this country
was low financially — Arthur Godfrey
d. : passing far downward
a low swoop
a low obeisance
2.
a.
(1) : of or relating to the lower classes : socially or economically humble or inferior
a person of low birth
women of low degree — H.M.Parshley
loved by all his parishioners, high and low
also : associated with lower class status : ignoble , plebeian
these tasks become … too low to be performed by the native — B.K.Sandwell
(2) : ranking as poor or inferior by some standard : inferior
a man of low intelligence
results in the domination of news by low intellectual and moral standards — F.L.Mott
groups of the population with low personal hygiene — E.C.Faust
(3) : lacking dignity or elevation : ordinary , commonplace , prosaic
distinguished between the high and the low style … the latter assigned to the realism of every day life — William Barrett
have used abbreviations freely in this letter. Do you think them low — O.W.Holmes †1935
(4) : characterized by burlesque, horseplay, and broad or farcical humor : bordering on farce
low comedy
(5) : culturally inferior by some standard : little advanced in civilization
savages of a low Negrito type — Encyc. Americana
(6) : having a relatively simple organization : not highly developed in the scale of biological evolution
low organisms
no remains of … low forms of man have been found here — S.E.Morison & H.S.Commager
(7) usually capitalized : Low Church
who was very Low, would forget for a moment her annoyance at the ecclesiastical lace — Osbert Lancaster
b.
(1) : morally reprehensible : base , mean
that was a low trick
marked by a certain low cunning
also : striking below the belt : foul
a low blow
(2) : degraded , abandoned , dissolute , disreputable
a low public house — Newsweek
intrigues with low women — Benjamin Franklin
(3) : lacking in or reflecting lack of refinement or breeding : coarse , vulgar
low in her tastes and aspirations, low in her likes and dislikes — Joseph Furphy
sporting events of a low type — G.M.Trevelyan
scenes of would-be comedy from illiterate low characters — Leslie Rees
that's a low word
(4) : not conforming to some standard of correctness or propriety
the low language is the everyday language — Miguel Covarrubias
c.
(1) : lacking strength, health, or vitality : feeble , weak
he was very low — Granville Toogood
a low pulse
(2) : not rich or highly seasoned : not nourishing : plain , simple
a low diet
(3) : lacking spirit or vivacity : depressed , dejected
felt too low even to remonstrate — Louis Auchincloss
: marked by dejection or depression
in a low state of mind — J.C.Lincoln
better than he thought in low moments — Times Literary Supplement
d. : unfavorable , disparaging
had a low opinion of his talents
3. : deficient, inferior, or unusually small in quantity, intensity, value, or degree: as
a. : less than normal : not intense : moderate
low barometric pressure
low speed
low visibility
a low fever
a low conductor of heat
valleys … low in lime — Walter Bally
b.
(1) : not loud : soft
spoke in a very low voice — Katharine N. Burt
(2) : depressed in musical pitch : flat
(3) : relating to those musical notes or tones in the contraoctave especially in singing
low G
c.
(1) : numerically small : not high in amount
the illiteracy rate is very low
a low number
deal me a low card
(2) : being beneath a rate, amount, or value considered normal, standard, or adequate by some criteria
persons of low income group
low wages
low prices
specifically : cheap
that's a very low price for that suit
(3) : relatively small or too small : moderate
gave me a very low estimate
(4) : nearly exhausted : depleted, short
left me when the coal was low — New Republic
the stores being so low — R.L.Stevenson
very low in pocket
d. : being near or not very distant from the equator
the low northern latitudes
e. : being relatively near the beginning of a series of chemical compounds arranged in order of increasing molecular weight or of increasing valence of the chief constituent
lower fatty acids
— compare high 1b 7
f. : designed for slow or usually the slowest speed ; specifically : giving the lowest ratio of propeller-shaft to engine-shaft speed and the highest amplification of torque
low gear
g. : not lively : slow
published … at very low tempo because of lack of funds — Mortimer Graves
a steady, dignified low dance — Anatole Chujoy
4. : very low : making a nadir : lowest
surely the low point of the entire period — Philles Nash
organized religion has reached a low point in its history — Humanist
Synonyms: see base
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from lah, from lah, adjective — more at low IV
: something that is low: as
a. : a piece of low-lying level ground — usually used in plural
many lows growing dense reedbeds — Douglas Carruthers
b. : low speed
c.
(1) : the lowest card of the trump suit or the lowest trump card in play counting one point in all forms and related games
(2) : the lowest number, card, or score in a game ; also : the player having low
d. : a domain of low barometric pressure — compare cyclone 1a
e. : lowest prices of a movement
buy stocks at the low
f. : a nadir of decline or degradation
whose report card marks a new low — Ralph Linton
prestige, power, and reputation plummet to new lows — Neal Stanford
membership is at an all-time low — Sydney (Australia) Bulletin
VI. adverb
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English lowe, from lahe, lage, from lah, adjective — more at low IV
1. : in or to a low position : not on high : near the ground
the village is nestled low in the foothills of the great range
2. : to or toward a low position : in a low direction or course
aim your blows low
3.
a. : in subjection, poverty, or disgrace
brought low by misfortune
b.
(1) : in a low or poor condition : humbly , meagerly
on that income you must live very low
(2) : at a low rate
don't value yourself too low
4. : at a relatively low price : cheaply
sell wheat low
5.
a. : with a low voice or sound : not loudly : softly
speak low
b. : with a low musical pitch or tone
6. archaic : late
VII. noun
or lowe “
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse log, logi flame; akin to Old Frisian loga flame, Middle High German lohe flame, Gothic liuhath light — more at light
chiefly Scotland : flame , blaze , glow
VIII. verb
or lowe “
Etymology: Middle English lowen, from Old Norse loga, from logi, n.
Scotland : flame , blaze , glow
IX. ˈlau̇ verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: by shortening
dialect : allow