# noble

Pronunciation: say "NOH-buhl" US /ˈnoʊbəl/, UK /ˈnəʊbəl/

## Adjective

1. Showing high moral character, marked by honesty and generosity and free of anything petty or mean.
   - Simple: Showing good, honest character and acting in a fair, kind way.
   - _He made the noble decision to take the blame so that his colleagues would be spared._
   - _Her noble refusal to betray her friends ended up costing her the promotion._
2. Belonging to or characteristic of the hereditary aristocracy; high in rank by birth, station, or title.
   - Simple: Coming from a high-ranking family, such as lords and ladies.
   - _His noble lineage traced back to the medieval court._
   - _The reform stripped many noble families of their ancient privileges._
4. Grand and stately in appearance; magnificent and impressive in scale or bearing.
   - Simple: Very grand, beautiful, and impressive to look at.
   - _The cathedral's noble facade dominated the city skyline._
   - _A noble avenue of elms led up to the manor house._
5. Of a chemical element, resistant to reaction with other substances, including corrosion and oxidation.
   - Simple: Of a metal or gas, not easily reacting with other substances.
   - _Platinum is a noble metal that resists corrosion even at high temperatures._
   - _The noble gases occupy the rightmost column of the periodic table._
6. Of a grape cultivar, belonging to the small group traditionally regarded as best suited to winemaking, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling.
   - Simple: Of a grape type, one of the few kinds long seen as best for making wine.
   - _The estate prides itself on growing only noble grapes._
   - _Riesling earns its place among the noble varieties prized by winemakers._

## Noun

3. A member of the hereditary aristocracy; a person of aristocratic birth.
   - Simple: A person born into a high-ranking family, such as a lord or duke.
   - _The nobles gathered at court to advise the young queen._
   - _A noble of the old kingdom held vast estates and many tenants._
7. A gold coin minted in England during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, typically valued at six shillings and eight pence.
   - Simple: An old English gold coin used in the 1300s and 1400s, usually worth six shillings and eight pence.
   - _The knight tossed a noble to the innkeeper and demanded the finest room._
   - _Each noble bore the image of a king standing in a ship._

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Of a polyhedron, both isohedral and isogonal: that is, symmetric across all its faces and across all its vertices.

## Origin

This word came from Middle English, from Old French noble, from Latin nōbilis ('knowable, well-known, famous, high-born, excellent'), which came from nōscere or gnōscere ('to know'). It replaced the native Middle English word athel, from Old English æþele.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/noble (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).