noble

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈnoʊbəl/ UK /ˈnəʊbəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #2983

Meanings

1

adj
Having or showing high moral qualities such as honesty, courage, and generosity.

Helping the refugees was a noble thing to do.
2

adj
Belonging to the highest social class, often with an inherited title.

She came from a noble family of ancient origin.
3

noun
A person of high social rank, especially one with an inherited title.

The nobles gathered at the king's court.
4

adj
Grand and impressive in appearance.

They admired the noble old building in the town square.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · having or showing high... great honorable

2 adj · belonging to the highest... highborn

3 noun · a person of high social... aristocrat

4 adj · grand and impressive in... stately magnificent

Word family

Forms noblernoblesnoblest

Derived forms angel-nobleantinobleennoblehalf-noblenobilitynoble-bornnoble-mindednoblebrightnobleman noblenessnoblewomannobly

Related forms honorable

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

noble gas
an element in the helium group that reacts only very reluctantly with other substances

Adjective + noun

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.

*ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European noble Middle English nōbilis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# noble

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈnoʊbəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈnəʊbəl/
**Frequency rank:** 2983

## Meanings
1. Having or showing high moral qualities such as honesty, courage, and generosity.
2. Belonging to the highest social class, often with an inherited title.
3. A person of high social rank, especially one with an inherited title.
4. Grand and impressive in appearance.

## Examples
- Helping the refugees was a noble thing to do.
- She came from a noble family of ancient origin.
- The nobles gathered at the king's court.
- They admired the noble old building in the town square.

## Derived Forms
- angel-noble
- antinoble
- ennoble
- half-noble
- nobility
- noble-born
- noble-minded
- noblebright
- nobleman
- nobleness
- noblewoman
- nobly

## Related Forms
- honorable

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ǵneh₃-
- Root: noble
- Root: nōbilis

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Noble comes 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. The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-, Middle English noble, Old French noble, and Latin nōbilis. Modern senses include having or showing high moral qualities such as honesty, courage, and generosity and belonging to the highest social class, often with an inherited title. The wider word family includes derivatives such as angel-noble, antinoble, ennoble, half-noble, nobility, and noble-born and related forms such as honorable.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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