Noble Meaning
/ˈnəʊbəl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn aristocrat; one of aristocratic blood.
nounA medieval gold coin of England in the 14th and 15th centuries, usually valued at 6s 8d.
Sentence Examples
Your sister looks as noble as if she were a princess.
The old man had a noble countenance.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ family had a castle and ruled over the surrounding villages.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He made a ____ gesture by donating all of his prize money to the hospital.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I lyked no thynge his playe, / For yf I had not quyckely fledde the touche, / He had plucte oute the nobles of my pouche."
— 1499, John Skelton, The Bowge of Courte:
"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."
— 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica, page 34:
"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."
— 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 93:
"Korben, I realize you must be pretty mad at me. But I want you to know that I am fighting for a noble cause. / Yes, you're trying to save the world. I remember."
— 1997, 1:44:10 from the start, in The Fifth Element (Science Fiction / Action), →ISBN, →OCLC:
"Wouldn't it be nobler by far to fight the good fight with all the weapons available: a firm bass voice, a wagging finger, the Bible?"
— 2001 June 10, Walter Kim, “What Do You Tell The Kids?”, in TIME, archived from the original on 07 Mar 2016, retrieved 16 Jul 2014:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ family had a castle and ruled over the surrounding villages.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He made a ____ gesture by donating all of his prize money to the hospital.