Etymology Map
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Humble pie

4 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means (eat humble pie) to make a humble apology after being proved wrong

Where does the word "humble pie" come from? It comes from Latin lumbulus, passing through Old French and English before entering English (1669).

1
Stage 1 of 4
lumbulus
Latin · classical
"little loin"
'little loin', diminutive of lumbus 'loin'
2
Stage 2 of 4
nombles
Old French · 1200s
"deer offal"
the edible innards of a deer; the l changed to n
3
Stage 3 of 4
umble pie
English · 1663
"pie of deer offal"
'numbles' became 'umbles' by losing its n to the article; Samuel Pepys records on 8 July 1663 that Mrs Turner brought him an 'umble-pie hot out of her oven'
4
Stage 4 of 4
humble pie
English · 1669
"humiliation"
'humble pie' appears in print by 1669, and the pun later gave 'to eat humble pie', to be forced to apologise
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Read the full story

Humble pie’s story begins in Latin: lumbulus meant “little loin.” 'little loin', diminutive of lumbus 'loin'. By 1200s, the word had taken hold in Old French as nombles. The edible innards of a deer; the l changed to n. From there it passed into English as umble pie by 1663. 'numbles' became 'umbles' by losing its n to the article; Samuel Pepys records on 8 July 1663 that Mrs Turner brought him an 'umble-pie hot out of her oven'. It reached English by 1669 as humble pie. 'humble pie' appears in print by 1669, and the pun later gave 'to eat humble pie', to be forced to apologise. Today, humble pie means (eat humble pie) to make a humble apology after being proved wrong.