noble

noble

See also: Noble and NOBLE

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French noble, from Latin nōbilis (“knowable, known, well-known, famous, celebrated, high-born, of noble birth, excellent”), from nōscere, gnōscere (“to know”).

Displaced native Middle English athel, from Old English æþele.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈnəʊbəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈnoʊbəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊbəl
• Hyphenation: no‧ble

Noun

noble (plural nobles)

1. An aristocrat; one of aristocratic blood. [from 14th c.]

   This country house was occupied by nobles in the 16th century.

   Antonyms: commoner, plebeian

2. (historical) A medieval gold coin of England in the 14th and 15th centuries, usually valued at 6s 8d. [from 14th c.]
   • 1499, John Skelton, The Bowge of Courte:

     I lyked no thynge his playe, / For yf I had not quyckely fledde the touche, / He had plucte oute the nobles of my pouche.

   • 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica:

     And who shall then stick closest to ye, and excite others? not he who takes up armes for cote and conduct, and his four nobles of Danegelt.

   • 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin 2012, page 93:

     There, before the high altar, as the choir's voices soared upwards to the blue, star-flecked ceiling, Henry knelt and made his offering of a ‘noble in gold’, 6s 8d.

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:nobleman

Derived terms

• half-noble
• noble gas
• nobleman

 

Translations

aristocrat

Albanian: fisnik (sq) m, fisnike (sq) f, Arabic: نَبِيل‎ (ar) m (nabīl) Armenian: ազնվական (hy) (aznvakan) Azerbaijani: zadəgan (az) Bulgarian: благоро́дник (bg) (blagoródnik), велмо́жа (bg) (velmóža) Chinese: Mandarin: 貴族／贵族 (zh) (guìzú) Czech: šlechtic (cs) m Danish: adelsmand c, adelskvinde c (female), adelsdame c (female), aristokrat c Dutch: edele (nl) m, aristocraat (nl) m, adellijke (nl) m Esperanto: nobelo (eo), nobelino (female) Finnish: aristokraatti (fi) French: noble (fr) m or f, aristocrate (fr) m or f, nobliau (fr) m (derogatory) Galician: nobre m or f Georgian: თავადი (tavadi), დიდგვაროვანი (didgvarovani), წარჩინებული (c̣arčinebuli), დიდებული (ka) (didebuli) German: Adeliger (de) m, Adliger (de) m, Adelige (de) f, Adlige (de) f, Aristokrat (de) m, Aristokratin (de) f, Edelmann (de) m, Edelfrau (de) f, Edeldame f, Edelfräulein (de) n (young, unmarried), Edler m, Edle f Greek: αριστοκράτης (el) m (aristokrátis), ευγενής (el) m or f (evgenís) Ancient: ἄριστος m (áristos) Hawaiian: aliʻi Hebrew: אציל \\ אָצִיל‎ (he) m (atsíl), אצילה \\ אֲצִילָה‎ f (atsilá) Hungarian: nemes (hu) Irish: uasal (ga) m Japanese: 貴族 (ja) (きぞく, kizoku) Kazakh: ақсүйек (aqsüiek) Macedonian: благо́родник m (blagórodnik), ве́лможа m (vélmoža), великодо́стојник m (velikodóstojnik) Maori: ariki (mi) Norwegian: Bokmål: adelsmann (no) m, adelskvinne m or f (female), adelsdame m or f (female), aristokrat (no) m Nynorsk: adelsmann m, adelskvinne f, adelsdame f, aristokrat m Old English: ǣþel m Persian: نجیب‌زاده‎ (najib-zâde) Polish: arystokrata (pl) m, arystokratka (pl) f, arystokratka (pl) m, szlachcianka (pl) f Portuguese: nobre (pt) m or f Romanian: nobil (ro) m, nobilă (ro) f, aristocrat (ro) m, aristocrată (ro) m Russian: аристокра́т (ru) m (aristokrát), аристокра́тка (ru) f (aristokrátka), дворяни́н (ru) m (dvorjanín), дворя́нка (ru) f (dvorjánka) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: пле̏мић m, пле̏мкиња f Roman: plȅmīć m, plȅmkinja (sh) f Slovak: šľachtic (sk) m, urodzený m Spanish: noble (es) m or f Swedish: adelsman (sv) c (male), adelsdam (sv) c (female), adelskvinna c (female), adelsperson c, aristokrat (sv) c Yiddish: אַדלמאַן‎ m (adlman), אַריסטאָקראַט‎ m (aristokrat), דוואָריאַנין‎ m (dvoryanin) (Russia), וויעלמאָזשנע‎ m (vyelmozhne) (Poland)

medieval gold coin

German: Nobel m

Adjective

noble (comparative nobler or more noble, superlative noblest or most noble)

1. Having honorable qualities; having moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean or dubious in conduct and character.

   He made a noble effort.

   He is a noble man who would never put his family in jeopardy.

   Synonyms: great, honorable

   Antonyms: despicable, ignoble, mean, vile

2. Grand; stately; magnificent; splendid.
   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 4293071:

     He was thinking; but the glory of the song, the swell from the great organ, the clustered lights, […] , the height and vastness of this noble fane, its antiquity and its strength—all these things seemed to have their part as causes of the thrilling emotion that accompanied his thoughts.

   a noble edifice

3. Of exalted rank; of or relating to the nobility; distinguished from the masses by birth, station, or title; highborn.

   noble blood; a noble personage

   Synonym: superior

   Antonyms: inferior, plebeian

4. (geometry, of a polyhedron) Both isohedral and isogonal.

Derived terms

• ennoble
• nobility
• noble gas
• nobleman
• noble metal
• noble-minded
• nobleness
• noble rot
• noblewoman
• nobly

 

Translations

having honorable qualities

Albanian: please add this translation if you can Arabic: كَرِيم‎ (karīm), شَرِيف‎ (šarīf), نَبِيل‎ (ar) (nabīl) Armenian: ազնիվ (hy) (azniv), վեհ (hy) (veh), վեհանձն (hy) (vehanjn) Belarusian: шляхе́тны (šljaxjétny) Bulgarian: благоро́ден (bg) (blagoróden) Catalan: noble (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 高貴／高贵 (zh) (gāoguì), 高尚 (zh) (gāoshàng) Czech: vznešený (cs), velkomyslný, ušlechtilý (cs) Dutch: edel (nl), adellijk (nl), eervol (nl), fatsoenlijk (nl), nobel (nl) Esperanto: nobla (eo) Estonian: aatelik Finnish: aatelinen (fi), jalo (fi), ylväs (fi) French: noble (fr), aristocratique (fr) Galician: nobre Georgian: კეთილშობილი (ḳetilšobili), დიდსულოვანი (didsulovani), სულგრძელი (sulgrʒeli) German: nobel (de), edel (de), großzügig (de), großmütig (de), hehr (de) Greek: αριστοκρατικός (el) (aristokratikós) Ancient: γενναῖος (gennaîos) Hawaiian: aliʻi Hebrew: יקר רוח‎ (y"kar ruakh), נאצל‎ (he) m (né'étsal) Hungarian: nemes (hu) Irish: uasal (ga), án (ga) Italian: nobile (it) Japanese: 偉い (ja) (erai), 立派な (ja) (rippa na) Khmer: អភិជន (a’pʰi’ cɔɔn) Kyrgyz: асыл (ky) (asıl) Latin: pulcher, nōbilis (la) Latvian: please add this translation if you can Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can Macedonian: благороден (blagoroden) Maori: metarahi, metararahi Norman: nobl'ye (Jersey) Norwegian: Bokmål: edel (no) Nynorsk: edel Occitan: nòble (oc) Persian: شریف‎ (fa) (šarif) Polish: szlachetny (pl) Portuguese: nobre (pt) Romanian: nobil (ro) Russian: благоро́дный (ru) (blagoródnyj) Scots: athill Scottish Gaelic: uasal, mòrdha, miathail, flathail, allail, òirdheirc Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: племѐнит Roman: plemènit (sh) Slovak: šľachetný, ušľachtilý, vznešený Spanish: noble (es) Swedish: ädel (sv), nobel (sv) Turkish: soylu (tr), asil (tr) Ukrainian: благоро́дний (uk) (blahoródnyj), шляхе́тний (šljaxétnyj) West Frisian: eal

of or relating to the nobility; distinguished from the masses by birth

Albanian: fisnik (sq) m, fisnike (sq) f Azerbaijani: əsil (az) Belarusian: высакаро́дны (vysakaródny), шляхе́тны (šljaxjétny) Bulgarian: благоро́ден (bg) (blagoróden), аристократи́чен (bg) (aristokratíčen) Finnish: aatelinen (fi), aatelis- German: adlig (de), aristokratisch (de), vornehm (de), nobel (de), erhaben (de), erlaucht (de), prächtig (de), stattlich (de) Greek: Ancient: γενναῖος (gennaîos), εὐγενής (eugenḗs) Irish: uasal (ga) Italian: nobile (it), aristocratico (it) Japanese: 偉い (ja) (erai), 貴い (ja) (tōtoi), 高貴な (ja) (kōki na), 貴族の (ja) (kizoku no) Latin: nōbilis (la) Macedonian: благороден (blagoroden) Old English: æþele Polish: szlachetny (pl) Romanian: nobil (ro) Russian: благоро́дный (ru) (blagoródnyj), аристократи́ческий (ru) (aristokratíčeskij) Slovak: urodzený, aristokratický (sk) Swedish: adlig (sv), välboren (sv) Ukrainian: шляхе́тний (šljaxétnyj) Yiddish: אַדלדיק‎ (adldik)

grand, magnificent, splendid

Bulgarian: възвишен (bg) (vǎzvišen), величествен (bg) (veličestven) Italian: splendido (it)

See also

• honorable

Further reading

• noble in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• noble in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• noble at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Bolen, Lebon, Nobel

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Asturian

Adjective

noble (epicene, plural nobles)

1. noble

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Catalan

Etymology

From Latin nōbilis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /ˈnɔ.blə/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈnɔ.ble/

Adjective

noble (masculine and feminine plural nobles)

1. noble

Derived terms

• gas noble
• noblement
• noblesa

Noun

noble m or f (plural nobles)

1. noble

Further reading

• “noble” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “noble”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
• “noble” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “noble” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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French

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French noble, borrowed from Latin nōbilis according to the TLFi dictionary.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɔbl/

• audio (un noble)

  (file)

Adjective

noble (plural nobles)

1. noble, aristocratic
2. (of material) non-synthetic, natural; fine
3. noble, worthy (thoughts, cause etc.)

Derived terms

• gaz noble
• noblement
• noblesse
• pourriture noble

 

Descendants

• → Danish: nobel
• → German: nobel

Noun

noble m or f by sense (plural nobles)

1. noble (person who is noble)

References

• Etymology and history of “noble”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Further reading

• “noble”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnoːblə/

Adjective

noble

1. inflection of nobel:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

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Middle English

Etymology

From Old French noble, from Latin nōbilis.

Adjective

noble

1. noble

Descendants

• English: noble

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Middle French

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin nōbilis.

Adjective

noble m or f (plural nobles)

1. noble

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Old French

Etymology

From Latin nōbilis.

Adjective

noble m (oblique and nominative feminine singular noble)

1. noble; upper-class; well-bred

   Synonyms: avenant, cortois

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Romanian

Adjective

noble m or f or n (masculine plural nobli, feminine and neuter plural noble)

1. Obsolete form of nobil.

Declension

Declension of noble

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	noble		noble	nobli	noble
	definite	noblele		noblea	noblii	noblele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	noble		noble	nobli	noble
	definite	noblelui		noblei	noblilor	noblelor

References

• noble in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN

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Spanish

Etymology

From Latin nōbilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnoble/ [ˈno.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -oble
• Syllabification: no‧ble

Adjective

noble (plural nobles)

1. noble

Derived terms

• gas noble
• metal noble
• noblemente

 

Related terms

• nobleza

Further reading

• “noble”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

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Swedish

Adjective

noble

1. absolute definite natural masculine singular of nobel.

Anagrams

• Nobel, nobel