'lowness' originates from Old English elements: the adjective 'low' combined with the noun-forming suffix '-ness' (Old English '-nes(s)a'), where the root for 'low' denoted being 'not high' or a 'low place'.

'lowness' appeared in Middle English as 'lownesse' formed from 'low' + '-ness' and eventually became the modern English word 'lowness'.

Initially, the base sense referred mainly to physical low position or small height; over time it broadened to include figurative senses such as moral baseness, low volume, and humility.