Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Modest

Modest , adjective

[French modeste, Latin modestus, from modus measure. See Mode.]

1.
Restraining within due limits of propriety; not forward, bold, boastful, or presumptious; rather retiring than pushing one's self forward; not obstructive; as, a modest youth; a modest man.
2.
Observing the proprieties of the sex; not unwomanly in act or bearing; free from undue familiarity, indecency, or lewdness; decent in speech and demeanor; -- said of a woman.
Mrs. Ford, the honest woman, the modest wife. — Shakespeare
The blushing beauties of a modest maid. — Dryden
3.
Evincing modestly in the actor, author, or speaker; not showing presumption; not excessive or extreme; moderate; as, a modest request; modest joy.