modestyn.
/ˈmɒdᵻsti/, U.S. /ˈmɑdəsti/ I. Modest quality or character.† 1. Moderation, temperateness, self-control; freedom from excess or exaggeration; clemency, mildness of rule or government. Obsolete.
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the world > relative properties > quantity > moderateness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun]
modesty1531
mediocriture1574
modicity1611
reason1614
reasonableness1711
moderateness1781
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > restrained or moderate behaviour > [noun]
i-metOE
hovec1175
metc1175
methec1175
measurec1225
measure?c1225
temperancea1340
methefulnessc1350
temperurec1380
mannera1382
mannernessa1382
sobernessc1384
attemperancec1386
measurablenessa1400
amesingc1400
meanheada1425
mediocrity?a1425
moderation?a1425
moderancea1460
temperancy1526
mean1531
modesty1531
temperature1536
measure-keeping1556
moderateness1571
moderature1574
sobriety1582
mediety1583
moderacy1601
temperateness1609
reserve1660
medium1693
soft pedal1899
met1932
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xxv. sig. Miiiv Here with wolde be conioyned or rather mixte with it, the vertue called Modestie: whiche by Tulli is defined to be the knowlege of oportunitie of thinges to be done or spoken, in appoyntyng and settyng them in tyme or place to them conuenient & propre. Wherfore it semeth to be moche like to that whiche men communely call discretion.
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xxv. sig. Miv Modestie; whiche worde nat beinge knowen in the englisshe tongue, ne of al them which vnderstode latin, except they had radde good autours, they improprely named this vertue discretion.
1533 T. Elyot Of Knowl. Wise Man sig. A6v At the fyrste syghte it semed to me to be very dissolute and lackyng the modestie that belonged to a philosopher: but whan I had better examined it, therein appered that whiche is best worthy to be called wysedome.
1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie i. xviii. 21 He gouerned with all modestie to the great contentment of the inhabitauntes.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) iii. i. 215 The Enemies of Cæsar, shall say this: Then, in a Friend, it is cold Modestie . View more context for this quotation
1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre iii. vii. 120 Richard refused..to strip poore mariners out of those rags of their estates which the mercie and modestie of the waves and winds had left them.
1756 E. Burke Vindic. Nat. Society 98 Thus running in a Circle, without Modesty, and without End; and making one Error and Extravagance an Excuse for the other.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. xxxi. 192 The modesty of Alaric was interpreted..as a sure evidence of his weakness and fear.
1839 R. Southey Lett. 18 Feb. I am likely to recover something from Baldwin and Cradock. The trustees of their affairs had the modesty to expect that I should receive a dividend of one shilling in the pound [etc.].
2. Decorum, propriety; scrupulous sobriety of thought, speech, conduct, etc.; natural avoidance of coarseness or lewdness.In early use regarded as a virtue proper to women, and often discussed as such.
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society > morality > virtue > purity > chastity > modesty or decency > [noun]
pudicity1567
pudor1623
modesty1632
decency1639
delicacy1712
propriety1753
properness1873
pudeur1876
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xxv. sig. Miv If a man haue a sadde countenance at al times, & yet not beinge meued with wrathe, but pacient, & of moche gentilnesse: they..wil say that the man is of a great modestie.
c1535 J. ap Rice Let. 26 Oct. in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1846) 3rd Ser. II. 356 Also I require more modestie, gravitie, and affabilitie, which wolde purchase hym more reverence than his owne setting foorth and Satrapike countenance.
?1556 N. Smyth tr. Herodian Hist. vi. f. 66 But thadministracion of all affayres..appertained to the women: who endeuored to reduce all thinges to their pristinate seemelynes and modesty.
1584 R. Greene (title) The Myrrovr of Modestie.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) i. ii. 55 Maides, in modesty, say no, to that, Which they would haue the profferer construe, I. View more context for this quotation
1632 P. Massinger & N. Field Fatall Dowry i. sig. B2v To gaine their fauors, Our chastest dames put off their modesties.
a1674 Earl of Clarendon Dialogue Want of Respect due Age in Tracts (1727) 288 You talk of Modesty, there hath been no Man seen to blush in the Court since the King's Return.
1699 J. Addison in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eminent Literary Men (1843) 294 A place..where Modesty is so very scarce that I think I have not seen a Blush since my first landing at Calais.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 6. ⁋3 When Modesty ceases to be the chief Ornament of one Sex, and Integrity of the other, Society is upon a wrong Basis.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 154. ⁋2 My character for Modesty was so notorious..that I resolved to shew my new Face in new Quarters.
1744 J. Thomson Summer in Seasons (new ed.) 110 Check'd, at last, By Love's respectful Modesty.
1790 J. Beattie Elem. Moral Sci. I. i. ii. 320 Profane talkers, lewd jesters, and they who..present to the ear or to the eye of modesty any of the indecencies I allude to, are pests of society.
1844 E. B. Barrett Lett. to M. R. Mitford (1983) II. 462 He could not think highly of the modesty of any woman who could read Don Juan!
1869 W. E. H. Lecky Hist. European Morals (1877) II. 319 The sister of St. Gregory of Nyssa was afflicted with cancer in her breast, but could not bear that a surgeon should see it, and was rewarded for her modesty by a miraculous cure.
1895 Outing 26 8/2 They have no conception of the western idea of modesty, and go freely about in their ‘nude simplicity’.
1936 M. Mitchell Gone with the Wind i. i. 3 For all the modesty of her spreading skirts, the demureness of hair netted smoothly into a chignon.., her true self was poorly concealed.
1958 G. Greene Our Man in Havana iv. i. 156 The girl, now that she had no choice, adjusted the coat for modesty and leant comfortably back.
1985 M. Stott Before I Go vii. 154 Every teenage girl goes through a period of intense ‘modesty’, dressing and undressing in total privacy.
3. † b. Humility before God. Obsolete.† c. Shame, discomfiture. Obsolete. rare.† d. Deferential feeling or impulse. Obsolete.
a. The quality of being unassuming or of having a moderate opinion of oneself; reserve or reticence arising from an unexaggerated estimate of one's qualities and abilities; freedom from presumption, ostentation, arrogance, or pride. †on a modesty: from a feeling of modesty (obsolete).
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the mind > emotion > humility > modesty > [noun]
simplesse1340
methec1390
simplenessc1400
demurity1483
demureness?1518
modestness1546
modesty1553
unaspiringness1681
unpretendingness1701
unassumingness1768
unostentatiousness1807
unpresumingness1837
unpretentiousness1855
unassertiveness1934
1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique i. f. 19v Modestie is an honest shamefastnesse.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 172 Augustus Cæsar..expressely forbad that the Poeme of Virgil should be burned, notwithstanding that he by his last wil and testament on a modesty [L. contra testamenti eius verecundiam], gaue order to the contrary.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet ii. ii. 282 There is a kind confession in your lookes, which your modesties haue not craft enough to cullour. View more context for this quotation
1681 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) I. 62 They would trust to his own modesty.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 231. ¶4 An Excess of Modesty obstructs the Tongue.
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 350. ¶2 Modesty is the certain Indication of a great Spirit.
1781 S. Johnson Addison in Pref. Wks. Eng. Poets V. 11 By the influence of Mr. Montague, concurring,..with his natural modesty, he was diverted from..entering into holy orders.
1802 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 8 366 A desire which perhaps proceeds from too much modesty, and a mistaken deference for others.
1827 J. C. Hare & A. W. Hare Guesses at Truth I. 12 True modesty consists, not in an ignorance of our own merits, but in a due appreciation of them.
1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad xvii. 165 We could not help admiring the Apostle's modesty in never once mentioning in his writings that he could paint.
1947 ‘A. P. Gaskell’ in D. M. Davin N.Z. Short Stories (1953) 179 I think I may say with all due modesty that we are quietly confident.
1972 P. Medawar Hope of Progress 67 ‘Just here our capacities fail us,’ he says, with a modesty not found in the writings of his successors.
1988 ‘R. Deacon’ Spyclopaedia 84 With typical modesty he gave most of the credit..to a Zulu assistant.
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the mind > emotion > humility > [noun] > towards God
modesty1557
1557 Bible (Whittingham) Acts xx. 19 Seruyng the Lord with all modestie [Gk. μετὰ πάσης ταπεινοϕροσύνης].
c1650 J. Spalding Memorialls Trubles Scotl. & Eng. (1850) I. 319 With gryt modestie, resolving with patiens to abyd Godis good will.
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the mind > emotion > humility > feeling of shame > [noun] > abashment
confusion1340
bashmentc1400
abashingc1404
abashmentc1430
abashancea1450
abashednessc1480
discountenance1577
modesty1594
1594 J. Lyly Mother Bombie iii. i. sig. D4v I can neither without danger smother the fire, nor without modestie disclose my furie.
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the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > [noun]
worthingeOE
respitea1382
honoura1425
respect1526
respection1528
regardfulness1571
respectiveness1608
modesty1616
respectfulness1625
deferencea1660
distance1667
respectance1820
unscornfulness1840
fealty1867
obsequiosity1878
deferentiality1880
1616 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor (rev. ed.) i. ii, in Wks. I. 10 There is a way of winning, more by loue, And vrging of the modestie, then feare.
1663 J. Spencer Disc. Prodigies iv. 28 Arguments from humane Authority, generally shew better in Rhetorick then Logick, and press the modesties of men more then their Judgments.
4. The modest appearance (extent, etc.) of a thing; unpretentious character; absence of luxury.
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the mind > emotion > humility > modesty > [noun] > unpretentious character specifically of things
humbleness1802
modesty1881
1881 R. G. White Eng. Without & Within 74 This unmarring modesty of outward show.
1906 Blackwood's Mag. Apr. 494/1 The straitness of their surroundings, the modesty of their homes may better be imagined than described.
1920 Jrnl. Education Jan. 18 The notable modesty of the proposals of the Burnham Committee on Salaries.
1996 N.Y. Times Mag. 25 Feb. 46/2 His second trip was notable for its modesty.
II. Other uses.
5. Short for modesty piece n. at Compounds. Now historical.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > clothing for chest or breast > types of > to cover woman's breast
stomach1473
patlet?a1505
partlet1515
stomacher1535
under-forebody1547
square1579
forepart1600
poitrel1607
half-shirt1661
tucker1688
modesty piece1713
modesty1731
modesty-bit1731
buffon1774
habit-shirt1780
chemisette1806
guimpe1850
bandeau1915
monobosom1970
bralette1973
modesty vest1974
1731 Gentleman's Mag. 1 289 Sometimes the Stomacher rises almost to the chin..; at other times but half way, and the modesty is but a transparent shade to the beauties beneath.
c1800 Songs Costume (1849) 207 A modesty they all must have, If ne'er a smock they wear, O.
1910 Westm. Gaz. 21 Mar. 5/3 The ‘modesty’ and the edge of the sleeves are of golden lace.
6. U.S. Any of various plants; spec. (a) thorow-wax, Bupleurum rotundifolium; (b) a creeping plant, Whipplea modesta (family Hydrangeaceae), native to the western United States, bearing small clusters of white flowers; (c) the flower-of-an-hour, Hibiscus trionum.
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the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Umbelliferae (umbellifers) > [noun] > thoroughwax or hare's ear
thoroughwax1548
thoroughleaf1578
hare's-ear1597
thoroughwort1597
modesty1809
buplever1881
the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > shrubs > non-British shrubs > [noun] > North-American
wild tea1728
bastard indigo1730
mountain heath1731
groundsel-tree1736
amorpha1751
buttonbush1754
moosewood1778
pipestem wood1791
modesty1809
sand myrtle1814
wicopy1823
lead-plant1833
false indigo1841
sleek-leaf1845
arrow weed1848
rabbit bush1852
ribbonwood1860
rabbit brush1877
sea myrtle1883
pencil tree1884
tar-bush1884
ocean spray1906
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > mallow flowers
abutilon1578
yellow mallow1597
Indian mallow1699
lavatera1731
modesty1809
butter print1872
Mormon weed1872
old maid1880
1809 T. Jefferson Garden Book (1999) 387 Planted..3. Modesty shrubs.
1837 W. Darlington Flora Cestrica (ed. 2) 191 Round-leaved Bupleurum. Vulgo–Modesty... Not very common; but is becoming naturalized about gardens, in several neighborhoods.
1896 Jrnl. Amer. Folk-lore 9 183 Hibiscus trionum... Modesty.
1897 N. L. Britton & A. Brown Illustr. Flora Northern U.S. II. 529 Bupleurum rotundifolium L. Hare's Ear. Thorough-wax or -wort. Modesty... Naturalized from Europe.
1902 E. Parsons Wild Flowers Calif. (ed. 4) 32 Modesty. Whipplea modesta... In April its exquisite little clusters of pure white flowers..make their appearance.
1949 H. N. Moldenke Amer. Wild Flowers xvii. 111 The bladder ketmia, Trionum annuum, has become naturalized along roadsides... The names modesty and flower-of-an-hour are applied to this little plant because each of its flowers remains open only for a few hours.
1961 J. H. Thomas Flora Santa Cruz Mountains 192 (heading) Hydrangea family. W[hipplea] modesta... Modesty, Yerba de Selva. Common in the drier parts of redwood-Douglas fir forests.
1973 C. L. Hitchcock & A. Cronquist Flora Pacific Northwest 291 H[ibiscus] trionum..modesty.
Compounds
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1731 Gentleman's Mag. 1 289 Sometimes the Stomacher rises almost to the chin, and a modesty-bit serves the purpose of a ruff; at other times but half way, and the modesty is but a transparent shade to the beauties beneath.
modesty board n. a modesty panel in a desk; also in extended use.
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1969 New Scientist 4 Dec. 493/2 Carpenters will soon be..taking down all those modesty boards from the front of typing tables.
1985 Financial Times (Nexis) 24 June 14 Secretaries complain of bruising their knees on modesty boards.
1998 Independent (Electronic ed.) 7 Sept. You know those September storms you get some years when the clouds erect a modesty board between you and the sunshine.
modesty panel n. a panel incorporated into any of various things for the purpose of concealment; esp. one placed across the front of a desk to conceal the legs of the person seated at it.
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1967 M. M. Pegler Dict. Interior Design 292 Modesty panel, a panel of metal, wood, plastic, or cane which is set at the exposed end of a pedestal or kneehole-type contemporary desk.
1981 Washington Post 8 Mar. k3/3 The designer..has come up with a sensible way to beat the breezes from behind a hospital..gown that has a rear opening. He's added a rear modesty panel, developed from an inverted pleat.
1990 Do it Yourself Apr. 12 (caption) Corner entry shower in gold effect with bronze glass and modesty panel.
1995 Roanoke (Virginia) Times & World News (Nexis) 26 Feb. g3 Miniskirts prompted Times-World's business manager to order metal ‘modesty’ panels welded to the front of all the women's desks.
modesty piece n. chiefly historical a piece of lace, etc., worn over a woman's dress to conceal the bosom; also in extended use.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > clothing for chest or breast > types of > to cover woman's breast
stomach1473
patlet?a1505
partlet1515
stomacher1535
under-forebody1547
square1579
forepart1600
poitrel1607
half-shirt1661
tucker1688
modesty piece1713
modesty1731
modesty-bit1731
buffon1774
habit-shirt1780
chemisette1806
guimpe1850
bandeau1915
monobosom1970
bralette1973
modesty vest1974
1713 J. Addison in Guardian 27 July 1/2 A narrow Lace..which runs along the upper part of the Stays before..and being as it were a part of the Tucker,..is therefore..called the Modesty-Piece.
1785 Ann. Reg. 1783 Characters 14/2 The females [of Sumatra], before they are of an age to be clothed have, what may not be inaptly termed, a modesty-piece, being a plate of silver in the shape of a heart, hung before.
1789 Loiterer 5 Sept. 11 Their handkerchief opened on either side, and left between it a space of at least eight inches, which was occupied, not covered, by a bit of narrow lace, a part of the Ladies dress which I have since heard called a Modesty piece.
2002 www.sgbridal.com 22 Jan. (O.E.D. Archive) An open corselet tie back is being sent with a modesty piece.
modesty skirt n. a skirt or skirt-like piece of fabric placed around something for the purpose of concealment; also in extended use.
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1967 Autocar 5 Oct. 32/1 Inside the car,..there are ‘modesty skirts’ around the front seat mechanisms to improve appearance.
1983 Newsweek (U.S.) (Nexis) 15 Aug. 41 A green and blue ‘modesty skirt’ around the keel and armed guards keeping prying eyes away.
1995 Commonweal (Electronic ed.) 20 Oct. The casket was invisible, fully draped by a voluminous modesty-skirt of green baize.
1997 Scotl. on Sunday (Nexis) 30 Mar. 5 Early 19th-century bathing costumes were highly respectable, covering everything from the knee to the shoulder... By the Thirties they'd shrunk to the top of the thigh, but even the boy's wore ‘modesty’ skirts.
modesty vest n. (a) = modesty piece n. (now chiefly historical); (b) a camisole worn under a revealing garment.
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1974 M. Kelly Girl in Alley vii. 114 She went in for dresses that buttoned low at the front and had to be filled in with modesty vests, detachable pieces of cream or beige crêpe-de-chine.
1987 Daily Tel. 16 Apr. 15/2 Don't worry if the neckline is a little low. A fine lace camisole once called a ‘modesty vest’, peeping out is part of the look.
2000 Internat. Herald Tribune (Electronic ed.) 1 Mar. They [sc. pantsuits] are a boarding pass for today's..jet set, as are the..chiffon blouses with a modesty-vest of wispy chantilly lace.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† modestyv.
Obsolete.
transitive. To throw away through prudery.Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. x. 42 Twice already have you, my dear, if not oftener, modesty'd away such opportunities as you ought not to have slipt.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. xii. 55 You..have accused me of having modesty'd-away, as you phrase it, several opportunities of being—Being what, my dear?
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2002; most recently modified version published online September 2019).
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