noble
/ˈnoʊbəl/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.24 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An aristocrat; one of aristocratic blood.
adj
Having honorable qualities; having moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean or dubious in conduct and character.
adj
adj
Of exalted rank; of or relating to the nobility; distinguished from the masses by birth, station, or title; highborn.
adj
Of an element, unreactive.
adj
Belonging to a class of grape cultivars traditionally considered most favorable for winemaking, usually encompassing the six: Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, and Riesling.
Example Sentences
- "This country house was occupied by nobles in the 16th century."
- "I lyked no thynge his playe, / For yf I had not quyckely fledde the touche, / He had plucte oute the nobles of my pouche."
- "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."
- "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."
- "He made a noble effort."
- "He is a noble man who would never put his family in jeopardy."
Etymology
From Middle English noble, from Old French noble, borrowed from Latin nōbilis (“knowable, known, well-known, famous, celebrated, high-born, of noble birth, excellent”), from nōscere, gnōscere (“to know”). False cognate of Arabic نبيل (nabīl). Displaced native Middle English athel, from Old English æþele.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *ǵneh₃-, noble, nōbilis
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈnoʊbəl/
- British English: /ˈnəʊbəl/
Usage
- American usage
Inflected Forms
nobles (plural)
nobler (comparative)
more noble (comparative)
noblest (superlative)
most noble (superlative)