noble
noble [noble nobles nobler noblest] adjective, noun BrE [ˈnəʊbl] NAmE [ˈnoʊbl]
adjective (no·blerBrE [ˈnəʊblə(r)] ; NAmE [ˈnoʊblər] nob·lestBrE [ˈnəʊblɪst] ; NAmE [ˈnoʊblɪst] )
1. having fine personal qualities that people admire, such as courage, ↑honesty and care for others
•a noble leader
•noble ideals
•He died for a noble cause.
•It was very noble of you to go so far to take him home.
compare ↑ignoble
2. very impressive in size or quality
Syn: ↑splendid
•a noble building
3. belonging to a family of high social rank (= belonging to the ↑nobility )
Syn: ↑aristocratic
•a man of noble birth
•one of the noblest families in Portugal
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French, from Latin (g)nobilis ‘noted, high-born’, from an Indo-European root shared by ↑know.
Example Bank:
•He was a young man of noble birth.
•Intermarriage between the noble families means that all the counts are related.
•She died in a noble cause.
Derived Word: ↑nobly
noun
a person who comes from a family of high social rank; a member of the ↑nobility
Syn: ↑aristocrat
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French, from Latin (g)nobilis ‘noted, high-born’, from an Indo-European root shared by ↑know.
Example Bank:
•The cost of the arch was met by Milanese nobles.
•The regime was supported by a group of powerful nobles.
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