| 释义 |
nobility|nəʊˈbɪlɪtɪ|
Forms: 4–6 nobylyte, 6 -ytye, -ite; 5–6 nobilite, 6 -yte, -itee, 5–7 -itie. 6–7 -itye, 6 -ity.
[ad. F. nobilité (12th c.), or L. nōbilitās, f. nōbilis noble: see -ity.]
1. a. The quality of being noble in respect of excellence, value, or importance. Now rare.
1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. i. (1495) 100 The nobylyte and precyousnesse of the eye. c1400Rom. Rose 5651 A book, that the Golden Verses Is clepid, for the nobilite Of the honourable ditee. c1449Pecock Repr. i. xix. 114 What God is in hise dignitees, nobilitees and perfecciouns. 1514Barclay Cyt. & Uplondyshm. (Percy Soc.) 24 Now juge..whiche of these semeth the Of most avauntage, & most nobylyte? 1535Coverdale Wisd. viii. 3 Who so hath y⊇ company of God, commendeth hir nobilyte. 1567J. Maplet Gr. Forest 25 In Nobilitie aboue Stones and Mettals are Plants. 1578Banister Hist. Man iv. 59 This tendon truly is of great nobilitie. 1604E. G[rimstone] D' Acosta's Hist. Indies v. i. 331 That other part of the worlde,..much inferiour in nobilitie. 1678R. R[ussell] tr. Geber ii. i. iii. ix. 77 It [silver] is a noble Body but wants of the nobility of Gold.
b. The quality of being noble in nature or character; nobleness or dignity of mind.
1595W. Jones (title), Nenna's Nennio; or a Treatise of Nobility; wherein is discoursed what true Nobilitie is, with such qualities as are required in a perfect gentleman. 1604Shakes. Oth. ii. i. 218, They say base men being in Loue, haue then a Nobilitie in their Natures, more then is natiue to them. 1641J. Shute Sarah & Hagar (1649) 142 To labour for Vertue, which is true Nobility. 1687Dryden Hind & P. iii. 1220 They..named their pride nobility of soul. a1711Ken Christophil Poet. Wks. 1721 I. 462 He glories only in God reconcil'd, 'Tis his Nobility to be God's Child. 1851Longfellow Gold. Leg. vi. School Salerno 266 All my divine nobility of nature By this one act is forfeited for ever. 1877E. R. Conder Bas. Faith v. 203 It is man's nobility, not his defect, that the most lofty and commanding part of him is his moral nature.
transf.1860Tyndall Glac. i. xxv. 187 There was a nobility in this glacier scene.
c. pl. Instances of nobleness of nature.
1921R. Hichens Spirit of Time iv. 71 He pointed to the nobilities, the self-sacrifice,..the marvellous examples of courage.
d. The property (of an element) of being noble or relatively unreactive. Cf. noble a. 7 b.
1907[see noble a. 7 b]. 1974Sci. Amer. Aug. 48/2 The supposed ‘nobility’ of the elements that make up Group Zero in the periodic table was first compromised in 1962, when Neil Bartlett..synthesized xenon hexafluoroplatinate.
2. The quality, state, or condition of being noble in respect of rank or birth.
c1440Gesta Rom. xlvii. 202 (Harl. MS.), I was some tyme a worthi knight... Ande so when that I thinke of my grete nobilite that I haue bene inne [etc.]. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 3 b, Suche a one as was both in nobilitie of birth and in authoritie also right famous. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. i. 96 Of this cumis thair pryd..and bosting of thair nobilitie. 1621Burton Anat. Mel. ii. iii. ii. (1651) 316 This is it belike, which makes the Turkes at this day scorn nobility, and all those huffing bumbast titles. 1656Cowley Pindar. Odes Wks. 1710 I. 250 We draw a long Nobility From Hieroglyphick Proofs of Heraldry. 1705Addison Italy (1733) 58 Their Merchants who are grown rich..buy their Nobility, and generally give over Trade. 1781Cowper Truth 353 Royalty, nobility, and state Are such a dread preponderating weight. 1841W. Spalding Italy & It. Isl. III. 244 Nobles there are in abundance; but their nobility is valid only at court and in fashionable society. 1875Stubbs Const. Hist. xv. II. 185 English nobility is merely the nobility of the hereditary counsellors of the crown.
transf.1839Hallam Hist. Lit. iv. vii. §13 note, To observe the comparatively recent nobility of many things quite established by present usage.
3. a. (With the) The body of persons forming the noble class in any country or state.
1530Palsgr. 889 Commodyouse and profytable vnto the nobylite of this realme. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 200 b, An especyall ornamente of the Frenche Nobilytye. 1606Warner Alb. Eng. xv. xcv. 379 The Prelacie, Nobilitie, States-men, and State betraide. 1671Milton Samson 1654 Lords, Ladies, Captains, Councellors, or Priests, Thir choice nobility and flower. 1726Swift Gulliver ii. vii, Farmers in the Country, whose Commanders are only the Nobility and Gentry. 1759Johnson Idler No. 53 ⁋3 A street where many of the nobility reside. 1819Shelley Cenci i. ii. 57 All our kin, the Cenci, will be there, And all the chief nobility of Rome. 1856Emerson Eng. Traits, Wealth, The introduction of these elements..draws the nobility into the competition.
†b. Without article. Obs. rare.
1581Mulcaster Positions xxxvii. (1887) 147 If nobilitie and gentlemen would fall to diligence. 1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, ii. iv. 429 Stand aside, Nobilitie. 1603Jas. I in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. III. 64 The Country [being] so full of Nobilitie and Gentlemen of the best sort. 1650Bulwer Anthropomet. 3 All the Children..born of Nobility.
c. transf. The pieces other than pawns in chess.
1656W. Howard in Clarendon Hist. Reb. xv. §127. I have often observ'd that a desperate game at chess has been recovered, after the loss of the nobility, only by playing the pawns well.
4. a. (With a) A noble class; a body of nobles.
1612Bacon Ess., Nobility (Arb.) 192 A great..Nobilite addeth maiesty to a Monarch, but diminisheth power. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ ii. ii. §5 Strabo mentions no Nobility at all in ægypt distinct from the Priests. 1735Bolingbroke On Parties 192 The Saxons had a Nobility too, arising from personal Valour, or Wisdom. 1863Cowden Clarke Shaks. Char. xvi. 405 The Venetians were a nobility of merchants.
b. One belonging to the noble class.
1840Carlyle Heroes vi. (1858) 342 One leaves all these Nobilities standing in their niches of honour. 1927[see divinely adv. 2]. |