lower 1
— lowerable , adj.
/loh"euhr/ , v.t.
1. to cause to descend; let or put down: to lower a flag.
2. to make lower in height or level: to lower the water in a canal.
3. to reduce in amount, price, degree, force, etc.
4. to make less loud: Please lower your voice.
5. to bring down in rank or estimation; degrade; humble; abase (oneself), as by some sacrifice of self-respect or dignity: His bad actions lowered him in my eyes.
6. Music. to make lower in pitch; flatten.
7. Phonet. to alter the articulation of (a vowel) by increasing the distance of the tongue downward from the palate: The vowel of "clerk" is lowered to ( ä ) in the British pronunciation.
v.i.
8. to become lower, grow less, or diminish, as in amount, intensity, or degree: The brook lowers in early summer. Stock prices rise and lower constantly.
9. to descend; sink: the sun lowering in the west.
adj.
10. comparative of low 1 .
11. of or pertaining to those portions of a river farthest from the source.
12. ( often cap. ) Stratig. noting an early division of a period, system, or the like: the Lower Devonian.
n.
13. a denture for the lower jaw.
14. a lower berth.
[ 1150-1200; ME, comp. of LOW 1 (adj.) ]
Syn. 1. drop, depress. 3. decrease, diminish, lessen. 4. soften. 5. humiliate, dishonor, disgrace, debase.
Ant. 3. raise, increase. 5. elevate, honor.
lower 2
/low"euhr, loweur/ , v.i.
1. to be dark and threatening, as the sky or the weather.
2. to frown, scowl, or look sullen; glower: He lowers at people when he's in a bad mood.
n.
3. a dark, threatening appearance, as of the sky or weather.
4. a frown or scowl.
Also, lour .
[ 1250-1300; ME lour (n.), louren (v.) to frown, LURK; akin to G lauern, D loeren ]
Syn. 1. darken, threaten.