early 15c., "meek or humble state of mind," from lowly + -ness. From 1590s as "humble state or condition."
Entries linking to lowliness
lowly adv.
c. 1300, "humbly, in a modest manner," from low (adj.) + -ly (2).
-ness
word-forming element denoting action, quality, or state, attached to an adjective or past participle to form an abstract noun, from Old English -nes(s), from Proto-Germanic *in-assu- (cognates: Old Saxon -nissi, Middle Dutch -nisse, Dutch -nis, Old High German -nissa, German -nis, Gothic -inassus), from *-in-, originally belonging to the noun stem, + *-assu-, abstract noun suffix, probably from the same root as Latin -tudo (see -tude).