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nobleness

 - 3 dictionary results

no⋅ble

  [noh-buhl] adjective, -bler, -blest, noun
Use nobleness in a Sentence
–adjective
1. distinguished by rank or title.
2. pertaining to persons so distinguished.
3. of, belonging to, or constituting a hereditary class that has special social or political status in a country or state; of or pertaining to the aristocracy.
4. of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence; lofty: a noble thought.
5. admirable in dignity of conception, manner of expression, execution, or composition: a noble poem.
6. very impressive or imposing in appearance; stately; magnificent: a noble monument.
7. of an admirably high quality; notably superior; excellent.
8. famous; illustrious; renowned.
9. Chemistry. inert; chemically inactive.
10. Falconry. (of a hawk) having excellent qualities or abilities.
–noun
11. a person of noble birth or rank; nobleman or noblewoman.
12. a former gold coin of England, first issued in 1346 by Edward III, equal to half a mark or 6s. 8d., replaced in 1464 under Edward IV by the rose noble.
13. (in Britain) a peer.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME < OF < L (g)nōbilis notable, of high rank, equiv. to (g)nō-, base of (g)nōscere to get to know, find out (see know 1 ) + -bilis -ble

Related forms:
no⋅ble⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
3. highborn, aristocratic. 4. honorable. Noble, high-minded, magnanimous agree in referring to lofty principles and loftiness of mind or spirit. Noble implies a loftiness of character or spirit that scorns the petty, mean, base, or dishonorable: a noble deed. High-minded implies having elevated principles and consistently adhering to them: a high-minded pursuit of legal reforms. Magnanimous suggests greatness of mind or soul, esp. as manifested in generosity or in overlooking injuries: magnanimous toward his former enemies. 6. grand, lordly, splendid. 11. peer, aristocrat.

Antonyms:
3. lowborn, base.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To nobleness
no·ble   (nō'bəl)   
adj.   no·bler, no·blest

  1. Possessing hereditary rank in a political system or social class derived from a feudalistic stage of a country's development.

    1. Having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor: a noble spirit.

    2. Proceeding from or indicative of such a character; showing magnanimity: "What poor an instrument/May do a noble deed!" (Shakespeare).

  3. Grand and stately in appearance; majestic: "a mighty Spanish chestnut, bare now of leaves, but in summer a noble tree" (Richard Jeffries).

  4. Chemistry Inactive or inert.

n.  

  1. A member of the nobility.

  2. A gold coin formerly used in England, worth half of a mark.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin nōbilis; see gnō- in Indo-European roots.]
no'ble·ness n., no'bly adv.
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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Word Origin & History

noble 
c.1225, "illustrious, distinguished, worthy of honor or respect," from O.Fr. noble, from L. nobilis "well-known, famous, renowned, of superior birth," earlier gnobilis, lit. "knowable," from gnoscere "to come to know," from PIE base *gno- (see know). The prominent Roman families, which were "well known," provided most of the Republic's public officials. Meaning "distinguished by rank, title, or birth" is first recorded 1297. Sense of "having lofty character, having high moral qualities" is from 1601. The noble gases (1902) so called for their inactivity or interness; a use of the word that had been applied in M.E. to precious stones, metals, etc., of similar quality (c.1390), from the sense of "having admirable properties" (c.1305).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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