Low Countries

Low Countries
Low Low (l[=o]), a. [Compar. {Lower} (l[=o]"[~e]r); superl. {Lowest}.] [OE. low, louh, lah, Icel. l[=a]gr; akin to Sw. l[*a]g, Dan. lav, D. laag, and E. lie. See {Lie} to be prostrate.] [1913 Webster] 1. Occupying an inferior position or place; not high or elevated; depressed in comparison with something else; as, low ground; a low flight. [1913 Webster]

2. Not rising to the usual height; as, a man of low stature; a low fence. [1913 Webster]

3. Near the horizon; as, the sun is low at four o'clock in winter, and six in summer. [1913 Webster]

4. Sunk to the farthest ebb of the tide; as, low tide. [1913 Webster]

5. Beneath the usual or remunerative rate or amount, or the ordinary value; moderate; cheap; as, the low price of corn; low wages. [1913 Webster]

6. Not loud; as, a low voice; a low sound. [1913 Webster]

7. (Mus.) Depressed in the scale of sounds; grave; as, a low pitch; a low note. [1913 Webster]

8. (Phon.) Made, as a vowel, with a low position of part of the tongue in relation to the palate; as, [a^] ([a^]m), [add] ([add]ll). See Guide to Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 5, 10, 11. [1913 Webster]

9. Near, or not very distant from, the equator; as, in the low northern latitudes. [1913 Webster]

10. Numerically small; as, a low number. [1913 Webster]

11. Wanting strength or animation; depressed; dejected; as, low spirits; low in spirits. [1913 Webster]

12. Depressed in condition; humble in rank; as, men of low condition; the lower classes. [1913 Webster]

Why but to keep ye low and ignorant ? --Milton. [1913 Webster]

13. Mean; vulgar; base; dishonorable; as, a person of low mind; a low trick or stratagem. [1913 Webster]

14. Not elevated or sublime; not exalted in thought or diction; as, a low comparison. [1913 Webster]

In comparison of these divine writers, the noblest wits of the heathen world are low and dull. --Felton. [1913 Webster]

15. Submissive; humble. ``Low reverence.'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]

16. Deficient in vital energy; feeble; weak; as, a low pulse; made low by sickness. [1913 Webster]

17. Moderate; not intense; not inflammatory; as, low heat; a low temperature; a low fever. [1913 Webster]

18. Smaller than is reasonable or probable; as, a low estimate. [1913 Webster]

19. Not rich, high seasoned, or nourishing; plain; simple; as, a low diet. [1913 Webster]

Note: Low is often used in the formation of compounds which require no special explanation; as, low-arched, low-browed, low-crowned, low-heeled, low-lying, low-priced, low-roofed, low-toned, low-voiced, and the like. [1913 Webster]

{Low Church}. See {High Church}, under {High}.

{Low Countries}, the Netherlands.

{Low German}, {Low Latin}, etc. See under {German}, {Latin}, etc.

{Low life}, humble life.

{Low milling}, a process of making flour from grain by a single grinding and by siftings.

{Low relief}. See {Bas-relief}.

{Low side window} (Arch.), a peculiar form of window common in medi[ae]val churches, and of uncertain use. Windows of this sort are narrow, near the ground, and out of the line of the windows, and in many different situations in the building.

{Low spirits}, despondency.

{Low steam}, steam having a low pressure.

{Low steel}, steel which contains only a small proportion of carbon, and can not be hardened greatly by sudden cooling.

{Low Sunday}, the Sunday next after Easter; -- popularly so called.

{Low tide}, the farthest ebb of the tide; the tide at its lowest point; low water.

{Low water}. (a) The lowest point of the ebb tide; a low stage of the in a river, lake, etc. (b) (Steam Boiler) The condition of an insufficient quantity of water in the boiler.

{Low water alarm} or {Low water indicator} (Steam Boiler), a contrivance of various forms attached to a boiler for giving warning when the water is low.

{Low water mark}, that part of the shore to which the waters recede when the tide is the lowest. --Bouvier.

{Low wine}, a liquor containing about 20 percent of alcohol, produced by the first distillation of wash; the first run of the still; -- often in the plural. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Low Countries — Low Coun|tries, the another name for the Netherlands, a country in northwestern Europe, bordered by Belgium, Germany and the ↑North Sea. It is called the Low Countries because the land is mostly flat, and some parts are below ↑sea level …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Low Countries — the Netherlands, Belgium, & Luxembourg …   English World dictionary

  • Low Countries — For information about the confusion beetween the Low Countries and the Netherlands, see Netherlands (terminology). The Low Countries as seen from space The Low Countries (Dutch: De Lage Landen) are the historical lands around the low lying delta… …   Wikipedia

  • Low Countries — the lowland region near the North Sea, forming the lower basin of the Rhine, Meuse, and Scheldt rivers, divided in the Middle Ages into numerous small states: corresponding to modern Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. * * * Coastal region …   Universalium

  • Low Countries — Netherlands, Low Countries, Holland, Dutch The Netherlands is the official name for the Kingdom of Holland; Holland (strictly only a part of the Netherlands) is used informally. The term Low Countries includes Belgium and Luxembourg as well as… …   Modern English usage

  • Low Countries — noun the lowland region of western Europe on the North Sea: Belgium and Luxembourg and the Netherlands • Instance Hypernyms: ↑geographical area, ↑geographic area, ↑geographical region, ↑geographic region • Part Holonyms: ↑Europe * * * the …   Useful english dictionary

  • Low countries —    This geographical expression originally desig nated the whole Northern German lowland. In the later Middle Ages, the “Netherlands” and “Belgium” were designated as the “laghe lan den bi der see,” the low countries near the sea. During the 16th …   Historical Dictionary of the Netherlands

  • Low Countries — Low′ Coun tries n. pl. geg the lowland region near the North Sea, forming the lower basin of the Rhine, Meuse, and Scheldt rivers, divided in the Middle Ages into numerous small states: corresponding to modern Belgium, Luxembourg, and the… …   From formal English to slang

  • Low Countries, history of — Introduction       history of the Low Countries from prehistoric times to 1579.       For historical purposes, the name Low Countries is generally understood to include the territory of what is today The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, as… …   Universalium

  • Low Countries — noun The countries on low lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse (Maas) rivers …   Wiktionary

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