Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

noblesse

 - 2 dictionary results
no·blesse   (nō-blěs')   
n.  
  1. Noble birth or condition.

  2. The members of the nobility, especially the French nobility.


[Middle English, from Old French, from noble, noble, from Latin nōbilis; see noble.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

noblesse 
c.1225, "noble birth or condition," from O.Fr. noblece (Fr. noblesse), from V.L. *nobilitia, from L. nobilis (see noble). Fr. phrase noblesse oblige "privilege entails responsibility" is first attested in Eng. 1837.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see noblesse on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: