Lōw (lō)1, a.
[compar. LOWER; superl. LOWEST.]
[O. Eng. lowe, lawe, law, lagh, Icel. lägr, Sw. låg, Dan. lav, D. laag, Prov. Ger. läg, lig; Icel. låg, a low place, lægia, to depress, allied to Eng. lie, A.-S. licgan, Ger. liegen, to lie, q. v.]
Sense 1. Occupying an inferior position or place; not high or elevated; depressed below any given surface or place; as, low ground; a low fence; a low flight.
Sense 2. Not rising to the usual height; as, a man of low stature.
Sense 3. Near the horizon; as, the sun is low at four o'clock in winter, and at six in summer.
Sense 4. Descending far below the adjacent ground; deep; as, a low valley.
The lowest bottom shook of Erebus. Milton.
Sense 5. Sunk down to, or below, the natural level of the ocean by the retiring of the tide; as, low water.
Sense 6. Below the usual rate or amount, or below the ordinary value; as, a low price of corn; low wages.
Sense 7. Not high or loud; as, a low voice.
Sense 8. (Mus.) Depressed in the scale of sounds; grave; as, a low tone.
Sense 9. (Geog.) Near, or not very distant from, the equator; as, a low latitude; in the low northern latitudes.
Sense 10. Late in time; modern; as, the lower empire.
Sense 11. Wanting strength or animation; depressed; dejected; as, low spirits; low in spirits; his courage is low.
Sense 12. Depressed in condition; humble in rank; mean in condition; as, men of low condition; the lower classes. “Why, but to keep you low and ignorant?” Milton.
Sense 13. Mean; abject; groveling; vulgar; base; dishonorable; as, a person of low mind; a low trick or stratagem.
Sense 14. Not elevated or sublime; not exalted in thought or diction; as, a low comparison; a low metaphor; low language.
In comparison of these divine writers, the nobler wits of the heathen world are low and dull. Felton.
Sense 15. Submissive; humble; reverent; lowly. “But first low reverence done.” Milton.
Sense 16. Exhausted of vital energy; feeble; weak, as, a low pulse; made low by sickness.
Sense 17. Moderate; not intense; not inflammatory; as, low heat; a low temperature; a low fever.
Sense 18. In reduced circumstances; impoverished; as, the rich are often reduced to a low condition.
Sense 19. Not exaggerated; moderate; reasonable; as, a low calculation or estimate.
Sense 20. Not rich, high seasoned, or nourishing; plain; simple; as, a low diet.
Low is often used in the formation of compounds which require no special explanation; as, low-arched, low-backed, low-born, low-bred, low-browed, low-built, low-caste, low-crowned, low-heeled, low-lived, low-lying, low-minded, low-muttered, low-priced, low-roofed, low-seated, low-shouldered, low-thoughted, low-toned, low-voiced, and the like.
Low church. See under HIGH.—Low Dutch, or Low German, the German language as spoken in the northern parts of Germany. See under HIGH.—Low life, life among the poorer or uneducated classes of a country.—Low steam, steam having a low pressure;—generally applied to steam pressing less than fifty pounds on the square inch.—Low Sunday, the Sunday next after Easter;—popularly so called.—Low tide, the greatest ebb of the tide; the tide at its lowest point; low water.—Low water, the lowest point of the ebb or receding tide.—Low-water mark, that part of the shore to which the waters recede when the tide is the lowest. Bonvier.—Low wine, a liquor produced by the first distillation of alcohol; the first run of the still;—used chiefly in the plural.