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Added 9 October 2026

humiliate

/hjuːˈmɪliˌeɪt/ verb

In Latin: humiliō Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about humiliate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of.
He humiliated his colleague by criticising him in front of the boss

Origin

Borrowed from Late Latin humiliātus, perfect passive participle of humiliō (“to abase, humble”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin humilis (“lowly, humble”), from humus (“ground; earth, soil”); see humble.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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