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ennoble

 - 2 dictionary results

en⋅no⋅ble

  [en-noh-buhl]
Use ennoble in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), -bled, -bling.
1. to elevate in degree, excellence, or respect; dignify; exalt: a personality ennobled by true generosity.
2. to confer a title of nobility on.
Origin:
1425–75; late ME ennobelen < MF, OF ennoblir. See en- 1 , noble

Related forms:
en⋅no⋅ble⋅ment, noun
en⋅no⋅bler, noun
en⋅no⋅bling⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To ennoble
en·no·ble   (ěn-nō'bəl)   
tr.v.   en·no·bled, en·no·bling, en·no·bles

  1. To make noble: "that chastity of honor . . . which ennobled whatever it touched, and under which vice itself lost half its evil" (Edmund Burke).

  2. To confer nobility upon: ennoble a prime minister for distinguished service.


[Middle English *ennoblen, from Old French ennoblir : en-, causative pref.; see en-1 + noble, noble; see noble.]
en·no'ble·ment n., en·no'bler n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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