† noblen.3
Scottish. Obsolete.
The pogge or armed bullhead, Agonus cataphractus (family Agonidae), a small armoured marine fish found off the Atlantic coasts of north-west Europe.
ΚΠ
1808 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Nobles, the Pogge, or Armed Bullhead, a fish... This is the name at Newhaven.
1811 Mem. Wernerian Nat. Hist. Soc. 1 534 Cottus..cataphractus. Pogge or Armed Bullhead;..Noble.
1880–4 F. Day Fishes Great Brit. & Ireland I. 68 Agonus cataphractus... Names.—Pogge, armed bull-head, lyrie, sea-poacher: shell-backed bull-head, a local name. Pluck, noble, Scot. Penbwl, Welsh.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2019).
nobleadj.n.1
/ˈnəʊbl/, U.S. /ˈnoʊb(ə)l/ A. adj.
I. Distinguished.† 3. Distinguished by virtue of intelligence, knowledge, or skill. Obsolete.
1. † b. Of a deed or action: illustrious, renowned, celebrated. Now only as passing into sense A. 4b. Obsolete.
a. Of a person or people: illustrious or distinguished by virtue of position, character, or exploits. Now only as passing into senses A. 2, A. 5.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > fame or renown > famous or eminent person > [adjective]
mereeOE
athelOE
couthOE
brightOE
namecundc1175
outnumenc1175
noble?c1225
ketec1275
sheenc1275
tirfulc1275
glorious13..
losedc1305
of great renownc1330
glorifieda1340
worthly or worthy in wonea1350
clearc1374
nameda1382
solemna1387
renomeda1393
famous?a1400
renomé?a1400
renowneda1400
notedc1400
of (great, high, etc.) name?c1430
celebrate?1440
namely1440
famosec1449
honourable?c1450
notedc1450
parent?c1450
glorificatec1460
heroical?a1475
insignite?a1475
magnific1490
well-fameda1492
exemie1497
singular1497
preclare1503
magnificential1506
laureate1508
illustre?a1513
illustred1512
magnificent1513
preclared1530
grand1542
celebrated1549
heroicc1550
lustrantc1550
magnifical1557
illustrate1562
expectablec1565
ennobled1571
laurel1579
nominated1581
famosed1582
perspicuous1582
big1587
famed1595
uplifted1596
illustrious1598
celebrousc1600
luculent1600
celebrious1604
fameful1605
famoused1606
renownful1606
bruitful1609
eminent1611
insignious1620
clarousa1636
far-fameda1640
top1647
grandee1648
signalized1652
noscible1653
splendid1660
voiced1661
gloried1671
laurelled1683
distinguished1714
distinct1756
lustrious1769
trumpeted1775
spiry1825
world-famous1832
galactic1902
tycoonish1958
mega1987
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 45 Hire breðren swa noble princes as ha weren.
c1300 St. Katherine (Laud) 15 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 92 (MED) Riche Aumperour, þou art, swiþe noble and hende.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 6341 (MED) Edmond þe noble [v.r. goude] king..Þe beste bodi & noblost þat in eni lond þo was.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vi. 29 (MED) He is a noble man of armes.
a1425 (c1333–52) L. Minot Poems (1914) 21 (MED) Þus haue I mater for to make, For a nobill prince sake.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 985 Maistirs of Messedone, sa miȝty men & noble.
c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 106 (MED) Þe patriarkis, þat were þe nobliar of þe Jewis, herdid bestis.
?a1500 in Anglia (1974) 92 65 (MED) Kyng..Though þu be stovt, noble, and gay, Thou shalt yelde þe castell yf I may.
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. Arthur of Brytayn (?1560) i. sig. Ai Gawyn, and Lancelotte and many other noble knightes [printed kngihtes].
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. xiiijv Syns that so noble Princes had such an opinion of him.
1600 J. Pory tr. J. Leo Africanus Geogr. Hist. Afr. 47 They esteeme themselues the most noble and worthy people vnder the heauens.
1604 R. Dallington View of Fraunce sig. Sv Vertue..makes Nobilitie, for, there are noble Peasants, and peasantly Nobles.
1623 tr. A. Favyn Theater of Honour & Knight-hood i. iv. 35 For the Noble Kings of France mourne in Scarlet violetted.
1753 T. Gray Long Story in Six Poems 23 God save our noble King.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > fame or renown > famous or eminent person > [adjective] > specifically of things or actions
famousc1385
noblec1390
undoubtedc1460
illustrious?1566
blazing1576
brilliant1739
c1390 G. Chaucer Melibeus 2462 They han answered wisely and discreetly, right so rede I that they be..gerdoned for hir noble speche.
?a1425 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. iv. pr. 3. 48 Remembre the of thilke noble corrolarie that I yaf the alitel herebyforn.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) i. l. 2 We suld..hald in mynde, thar nobille worthi deid.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms cv. 1 Who can expresse ye noble actes of the Lorde, or shewe forth all his prayse?
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 427 The noble feates of Chiualrie and Martiall actes.
c1586 Mourn. Muse 186 in Spenser's Wks. (Globe) 565/2 [He] doth tell Thy noble acts anew.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) v. ii. 233 What poore an Instrument May do a Noble deede. View more context for this quotation
2.
a. Of a person or people: illustrious or distinguished by virtue of rank, title, or birth; belonging to a high social rank, esp. one recognized or conferred by a sovereign or head of state.In early use not clearly distinct from sense A. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [adjective]
freelyOE
freeOE
noblea1250
sovereignful1508
stately?1549
noblemanly1812
a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 273 (MED) Noble men and gentile and of heh burðe.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 701 (MED) Ich þe wole marie wel..To þe nobloste bacheler.
c1385 G. Chaucer Knight's Tale 2899 The nobleste of the Grekes that ther were Vpon hir shuldres carieden the beere.
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 45 For in þe first passed away moo comon peple. In þe 2a. forsoþ mo riche men & noble.
c1475 tr. Henri de Mondeville Surgery (Wellcome) f. 150v (MED) Þe sewynge of placis in þe face of noble personys and of princis ouȝte be doon riȝt sutilly.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Macc. i. 6 He called for his noble estates..& parted his kyngdome amonge them.
1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet iii. iv. 20 A thursday tell her She shall be married to this noble Earle. View more context for this quotation
1602 W. Warner Epitome Hist. Eng. in Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) 366 Likewise in euery Shire of the Noblier and of chiefe note was a yeerely choise of a Shire-Reeue.
1631 T. Heywood Londons Ius Honorarium in Wks. (1874) IV. 265 More faire and famous it is to be made, then to be borne Noble.
1648 in E. Nicholas Papers (1886) I. 89 For many other reasons, which I presume those noble persons had in their consideracions.
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 274. ¶2 The Copy of a Letter written..to a noble Lord.
1757 tr. J. G. Keyssler Trav. II. 396 The church..derives the last name from its noble founder.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. vi. 47 All the noblest and most opulent members of their church.., except Lord Arundell.
1893 K. D. Wiggin Cathedral Courtship 58 Lady De Wolfe's husband has been noble only four months.
1955 E. Waugh in Encounter Dec. 12/1 About two-thirds of the aristocracy are noble (in which catalogue I loosely include baronets and people descended in the male line from peers).
1995 Daily Tel. 24 Oct. 45/1 Its present chatelaine happens to be a sister of my noble colleague W. F. Deedes.
b. Of birth, blood, family, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [adjective] > of birth
well-bornOE
ethelbornOE
athelOE
high-bornc1275
noblec1300
great-kinned?c1450
nobly-born1586
ingenious1638
ingenuous1638
gently-born1871
thegn-born1874
hochgeboren1930
c1300 St. Katherine (Laud) 1 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 92 Seinte Katerine of noble kunne cam.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 110 (MED) Komen was he of kun þat kud was ful nobul.
?a1425 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. iii. metr. vi. 9 Thanne comen alle mortal folk of noble seed.
c1475 Life St. Anne (Trin. Cambr.) (1928) 418 (MED) The boke of the genology doth tell The nobyll discent..Of Ihsu cryst, the son of Dauid kyng.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) xxi. 62 I slew a knyght of a noble blode.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ijv This Thomas comming of a Noble house, gaue him self wholy to learning.
1611 Bible (King James) 2 Macc. xiv. 42 Chusing rather to die manfully, then..to be abused otherwise then beseemed his noble birth. View more context for this quotation
1657 Earl of Monmouth tr. P. Paruta Politick Disc. 79 Any witty Citizen, or hopefull Young-man of noble extract.
1728 J. Swift Intelligencer (1729) ix. 82 The Noblest Blood of England having been shed in the grand Rebellion.
1736 T. Gray Let. 8 May in Corr. T. Gray & W. Mason (1853) 3 These conscious shame withheld, and pride of noble line.
1808 W. Scott Marmion i. vii. 28 Two gallant squires, Of noble name, and knightly sires.
1869 R. D. Blackmore Lorna Doone I. v. 53 Young men would not spade or plough by reason of noble lineage.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 370/1 The legend is that she was a native of Sicily.., of noble birth and great beauty.
1991 N. Longmate Island Fortress (BNC) 192 He lacked the four generations of noble blood required for a commission in the French navy.
c. most noble (——).
(a) As a courtesy title or form of address: designating a royal or noble person. Now somewhat archaic and rare.In later, formal, use, chiefly of a duke.
ΚΠ
1387–8 Petition London Mercers in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 33 Moost noble & Worthiest Lordes, most ryghtful & wysest conseille to owre lige Lorde the Kyng.
1459 in E. W. W. Veale Great Red Bk. Bristol: Text Pt. II (1938) 57 (MED) To the most noble Prince of blessed memoyre, the Kyng his Fadur.
1580 T. Wilson Rule of Reason (new ed.) sig. Aiiiv This worke maie not at the first enterance, haue the saufe conducte and protection of your moste noble roiall Maiestie.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 (1623) iv. i. 59 But (my most Noble Lord of Westmerland) I take not on me here as a Physician.
1707 J. Chamberlayne Angliæ Notitia (ed. 22) iii. iii. 273 Duke... His Title is Grace; and being written unto may be Stiled, Most High, Potent and Noble Prince... Marquis... His Title is Most Noble, Most Honourable, and Potent Prince.
1733 Court Roll of Manor of Aldenham The Court Baron of the Most Noble Lord Thomas Holles Duke of Newcastle, Lord of the Manor aforesaid.
1803 J. Collins Let. 26 July in Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1837) II. 138 The assurance contained in his letter..was of equal validity as if given by the most Noble the Governor General.
1892 (title) The bimetallic question: deputation to the most noble the Marquis of Salisbury, to the Right Honourable G. J. Goschen, and to the Right Honourable A. J. Balfour.
1898 Whitaker's Titled Persons Introd. 10 A Duke is styled ‘Most Noble’, or more commonly ‘Your Grace’; but in very formal language he can be spoken of as ‘The Most High, Potent, and Noble Prince’.
1926 D. L. Sayers Clouds of Witness xiv. 254 The most noble and puissant prince Gerald Christian Wimsey..did kill and murder Denis Cathcart.
1992 P. Montague-Smith Debrett's Correct Form (rev. ed.) 28 The formal style of ‘The Most Noble’ has given place to the more informal ‘His Grace’, but the former is still used occasionally in official announcements, documents, and on monuments.
(b) Designating an order of knighthood, esp. the Order of the Garter and the Order of the Thistle.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > knight > [adjective]
hendc1275
kindc1330
knightlyc1384
most noble (——)1567
1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) Ded. (heading) To the ryght Honorable and his singular good Lord, Robert Erle of Leycester, Baron of Denbygh, knyght of the most noble order of the Garter.
1687 London Gaz. No. 2251/2 His Majesty having been Graciously Pleased the 29th of May last, to Sign a Patent to be past under the Great Seal of Scotland, for Reviving and Restoring the most Ancient and most Noble Order of the Thistle.
1704 T. Salmon (title) A new historical account of St. George for England and the original of the most noble order of the Garter.
1841 G. F. Beltz (title) Memorials of the most noble Order of the Garter.
1911 J. B. Paul (title) The knights of the most noble and most ancient order of the thistle.
2001 Navy News Sept. 38/3 Newly appointed a Companion of the Most Noble Order of St Michael and St George, the Colonel was greeted by a guard of honour.
d. Of, relating to, or befitting a person or people of high rank. Also in extended use.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [adjective] > relating to the nobility > relating to noble person
noblea1393
lordly1419
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [adjective] > type of piece
noble1680
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. 3351 Now amende He mai wel thurgh your noble grace.
a1425 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (1987) v. 1323 I, woful wyght..Me recomaunde unto youre noble grace.
1504 in I. S. Leadam Select Cases Court of Requests (1898) 8 Your said Oratour..hadde begon to colour dyvers reed hides for your noble vse.
1534 T. More in W. Roper Life (1822) 118 The first lesson..that ever his Grace gave me at my first comming into his noble service.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) i. ii. 105 At your Noble pleasure. View more context for this quotation
1680 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester (ed. 2) 46 When any Pawn..seats himself in any of his Noble houses, he is dignified with the..power of a Queen.
1787 A. Young Jrnl. 23 July in Trav. France (1792) i. 30 Lands held by a noble tenure are so much eased, and others by a base one so burthened, that 120 arpents..held by the former, pay 90 liv. and 400 possessed by a plebeian right..is, instead of that, assessed at 1400 liv.
1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits xi. 191 Ben Jonson's masques (performed at Kenilworth, Althorpe, Belvoir, and other noble houses).
1992 J. Nelson Charles the Bald (BNC) 49 All put their confidence in noble service and loyalty as guarantees of the realm's prosperity.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > [adjective] > gifted or talented > distinguished for genius or skill
noblec1300
c1300 St. Edmund Rich (Harl.) 248 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 500 (MED) So noble alosed þer nas non in al þe vniuersite.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 1328 (MED) Lelly nobul leches loked to his woundes.
a1425 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Galba) 28846 (MED) Saynt Aniane, þat nobill clerk, Sais almus es goddes awin werk.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 3132 (MED) To serche..þar saris with surgens noble.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 385 She was a noble surgeon.
a1550 (c1477) T. Norton Ordinal of Alchemy (Sloane 1873) (1975) 2509 (MED) Noble auctours..Callide oure stone Micocrosmos bi his name.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 3 Thay being sa noble Seymen, and sa expert in sayling.
c1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1641 (1955) II. 52 That Prodigy of Learning, the noble & illustrious Joseph Scaliger.
4.
a. Characterized by moral superiority or dignity; elevated, lofty.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > morally elevated quality > [adjective] > high-minded or magnanimous
athelmodc1275
freec1380
worthya1393
great-heartedc1425
noble1447
magnanimec1475
greata1500
haught1530
magnanimous1547
heartya1555
high-minded1556
noble-natured1576
generous1581
noble-minded1586
liberal-minded1592
ingenious1597
ingenuous1598
large-hearted1607
noble-tempered1654
big-hearted1711
broad-hearted1719
megalopsychic1896
big1910
1447 in J. D. Marwick Charters Edinb. (1871) 68 Oure progenitouris of noble mynde, quham God assoille.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. i. sig. A8 The noblest mind the best contentment has.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII iii. ii. 419 Some little memory of me, will stirre him (I know his Noble Nature). View more context for this quotation
1624 H. Wotton Elements Archit. Pref. Architecture can want no commendation where there are..Noble Mindes.
1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Wife of Bathe's Tale in Fables 493 The Nobleman is he whose noble Mind Is fill'd with inborn Worth.
a1771 T. Gray Imit. Propertius in Wks. (1884) I. 153 You whose young bosoms feel a nobler flame.
1774 J. Bryant New Syst. II. 96 They..carry the sciences.., instruct the natives... These are to be sure noble occurrences.
1818 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Canto IV cxlvii. 76 Relic of nobler days, and noblest arts.
1831 Society 1 25 With a zeal worthy of a nobler cause.
1872 J. Morley Voltaire i. 4 The noblest collective tradition of free intellect, which the achievements of the race could then hand down.
1908 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Green Gables xxx. 339 I would call it a worthy purpose to want to be a teacher... I think it's a very noble profession.
1993 A. Gay Brooch of Azure Midnight (BNC) 381 They sang something noble and uplifting.
b. Of a quality, action, etc.: proceeding from or indicative of greatness of character. Now also in weakened use.
ΚΠ
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Knychthede (1993) vii. 44 Alexander..had sa noble a curage yat he dispisit auarice and couatis.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 166 [The lion] Quhois noble yre is proceir prostratis.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. i. 59 Whether tis nobler in the minde to suffer The slings and arrowes of outragious fortune. View more context for this quotation
1630 tr. G. Botero Relations Famous Kingdomes World (rev. ed.) 218 I will not omit to speake of two Noble usages of the King of Swethland towards his Souldiers.
1729 W. Law Serious Call ii. 19 There is nothing noble in a Clergyman, but a burning zeal for the salvation of souls.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth III. 218 Numberless accounts assure us that his anger is noble.
1809 W. Wordsworth Sonnet to Liberty ii. xix. 12 To whose all-pondering mind a noble aim, Faithfully kept, is as a noble deed.
1851 J. Ruskin Stones of Venice I. i. 7 The noble pride which was provoked by the insolence of the emperor.
1872 J. Morley Voltaire i. 10 The too neglected list of good causes lost and noble effort wasted.
1915 J. Turner Let. 21 Apr. in C. Warren Somewhere in France (2019) 8 Wilf sent me a truly noble epistle which I shall have to answer soon.
1952 P. Tillich Courage to Be i. 4 The motive for withstanding pain and death courageously is, according to him, that it is noble to do so and base not to do so.
2000 Personal Computer World May 68/1 Civil disobedience for legitimate ends can be a noble thing.
5. Of a person: having or displaying high moral qualities or ideals; of a great or lofty character; free from pettiness or meanness, magnanimous. In recent use also ironic.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > morally elevated quality > [adjective]
kindly1340
heroical?a1475
heroicc1550
high-set1597
fine1598
unbase1601
exalteda1616
noblea1616
spiritful1631
raised1662
high-toned1770
lofty1776
etherealized1846
upward1850
unsordid1857
high-tone1864
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) v. v. 67 This was the Noblest Roman of them all. View more context for this quotation
1643 R. Baker Chron. Kings of Eng. i. 167 King John..had the happinesse to fall into the hands of a Noble enemy.
1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 321 Let no man scruple my honourable mention of this noble enemy.
1778 F. Burney Evelina III. xiv. 150 Tell me if he is not the noblest of men?
1829 K. H. Digby Broad Stone of Honour: Godefridus xviii. 223 The soldiers of Pavia were more noble than their Emperor Frederic II., when they remonstrated against his barbarous execution of the Parmesan prisoners.
1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems lxvii. 29 Truly a noble father, a glorious act of affection!
1892 19th Cent. July 118 The life of one of the noblest of a long list of noble names.
1923 A. Huxley On Margin 206 Human beings..he takes as he finds, noble and beastish, but..decent.
1992 R. Elliot Winter Challenge (BNC) v. 108 ‘How terribly sweet and noble of you,’ she purred.
II. Intrinsically good.
6. † b. Magnificent, stately. Obsolete.
a. Distinguished by virtue of splendour, magnificence, or stateliness of appearance; of imposing or impressive proportions or dimensions. †Also as n. (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [adjective]
faireOE
bremea1000
goodlyOE
goodfulc1275
noblec1300
pricec1300
specialc1325
gentlec1330
fine?c1335
singulara1340
thrivena1350
thriven and throa1350
gaya1375
properc1380
before-passinga1382
daintiful1393
principala1398
gradelya1400
burlyc1400
daintyc1400
thrivingc1400
voundec1400
virtuousc1425
hathelc1440
curiousc1475
singlerc1500
beautiful1502
rare?a1534
gallant1539
eximious1547
jolly1548
egregious?c1550
jellyc1560
goodlike1562
brawc1565
of worth1576
brave?1577
surprising1580
finger-licking1584
admirablea1586
excellinga1586
ambrosial1598
sublimated1603
excellent1604
valiant1604
fabulous1609
pure1609
starryc1610
topgallant1613
lovely1614
soaringa1616
twanging1616
preclarent1623
primea1637
prestantious1638
splendid1644
sterling1647
licking1648
spankinga1666
rattling1690
tearing1693
famous1695
capital1713
yrare1737
pure and —1742
daisy1757
immense1762
elegant1764
super-extra1774
trimming1778
grand1781
gallows1789
budgeree1793
crack1793
dandy1794
first rate1799
smick-smack1802
severe1805
neat1806
swell1810
stamming1814
divine1818
great1818
slap-up1823
slapping1825
high-grade1826
supernacular1828
heavenly1831
jam-up1832
slick1833
rip-roaring1834
boss1836
lummy1838
flash1840
slap1840
tall1840
high-graded1841
awful1843
way up1843
exalting1844
hot1845
ripsnorting1846
clipping1848
stupendous1848
stunning1849
raving1850
shrewd1851
jammy1853
slashing1854
rip-staving1856
ripping1858
screaming1859
up to dick1863
nifty1865
premier cru1866
slap-bang1866
clinking1868
marvellous1868
rorty1868
terrific1871
spiffing1872
all wool and a yard wide1882
gorgeous1883
nailing1883
stellar1883
gaudy1884
fizzing1885
réussi1885
ding-dong1887
jim-dandy1888
extra-special1889
yum-yum1890
out of sight1891
outasight1893
smooth1893
corking1895
large1895
super1895
hot dog1896
to die for1898
yummy1899
deevy1900
peachy1900
hi1901
v.g.1901
v.h.c.1901
divvy1903
doozy1903
game ball1905
goodo1905
bosker1906
crackerjack1910
smashinga1911
jake1914
keen1914
posh1914
bobby-dazzling1915
juicy1916
pie on1916
jakeloo1919
snodger1919
whizz-bang1920
wicked1920
four-star1921
wow1921
Rolls-Royce1922
whizz-bang1922
wizard1922
barry1923
nummy1923
ripe1923
shrieking1926
crazy1927
righteous1930
marvy1932
cool1933
plenty1933
brahmaa1935
smoking1934
solid1935
mellow1936
groovy1937
tough1937
bottler1938
fantastic1938
readyc1938
ridge1938
super-duper1938
extraordinaire1940
rumpty1940
sharp1940
dodger1941
grouse1941
perfecto1941
pipperoo1945
real gone1946
bosting1947
supersonic1947
whizzo1948
neato1951
peachy-keen1951
ridgey-dite1953
ridgy-didge1953
top1953
whizzing1953
badass1955
wild1955
belting1956
magic1956
bitching1957
swinging1958
ridiculous1959
a treat1959
fab1961
bad-assed1962
uptight1962
diggish1963
cracker1964
marv1964
radical1964
bakgat1965
unreal1965
pearly1966
together1968
safe1970
bad1971
brilliant1971
fabby1971
schmick1972
butt-kicking1973
ripper1973
Tiffany1973
bodacious1976
rad1976
kif1978
awesome1979
death1979
killer1979
fly1980
shiok1980
stonking1980
brill1981
dope1981
to die1982
mint1982
epic1983
kicking1983
fabbo1984
mega1985
ill1986
posho1989
pukka1991
lovely jubbly1992
awesomesauce2001
nang2002
bess2006
amazeballs2009
boasty2009
daebak2009
beaut2013
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > splendour > [adjective] > magnificent
lordlylOE
richc1275
prouda1300
noblec1300
gloriousc1315
reala1325
rialc1330
stouta1350
solemnc1386
royalc1400
pompousc1425
statelyc1425
lordlike1488
magnific1490
of state1498
magnificenta1530
pompatic1535
magnificala1538
princely1539
gorgeous?1542
regal1561
superbious?1566
surly1566
splendent1567
heroical1577
superbous1581
sumptuous1594
pompatical1610
pompal1616
fastidious1638
grand1673
splendid1685
grandific1727
grandiose1818
splendiferous1827
splendacious1843
magnolious1863
c1300 Holy Cross (Laud) 118 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 4 (MED) Op-on þe hulle of caluarie..A noble churche heo dude a-rere.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 896 (MED) Romulus & remeus..Bigonne..rome, þat noble cite is.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 2219 (MED) Þai hadde a semli siȝt of a cite nobul, enclosed comeliche a-boute wiþ fyn castel-werk.
c1450 (c1380) G. Chaucer House of Fame 469 When I had seen al this syghte In this noble temple.
c1475 tr. C. de Pisan Livre du Corps de Policie (Cambr.) (1977) 76 (MED) The citee of Siracuse..was a noble and a strong citee.
?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. B.iiij They wyll bylde at colman hedge in space A nother noble mansyon.
1587 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Iland Brit. (new ed.) ii. xi. 53/1, in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) I Being past Rochester, this noble riuer goeth to Chatham.
1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 228 We cross'd..over a very fair stone bridge, containing six noble Arches.
1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. i. v. 90 The rest of that noble Pile..[was] preserved from Destruction.
1741 Lady Pomfret Corr. (1805) III. 202 Nor is this shore destitute of the noble as well as the agreeable.
1827 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey IV. vi. i. 24 They ascended a very noble staircase.
1843 G. Borrow Bible in Spain II. xvi. 355 It possesses a noble quay.
1924 Glasgow Herald 8 Mar. 9 Where aerial invaders left ugly..scars in the streetscape noble new buildings have already appeared.
1955 B. Pym Less than Angels xviii. 199 Isn't the house romantic-looking... A noble pile, the term really seems to be justified.
1976 D. Francis In Frame ix. 136 In the background, the noble lines of a mansion.
1992 H. Mitchell One Man's Garden ix. 185 I yield to nobody in my love of oaks, beeches, sycamores,..and other noble trees of great size.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [adjective] > and noble or magnificent
dearOE
freelyOE
athelOE
highlyOE
dearwortha1175
noblec1325
worshipful1340
dearworthyc1374
ingenuous1598
valuable1598
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 1503 Þe oþer kinges echon Hit dude..& in so noble fourme non.
c1395 G. Chaucer Clerk's Tale 945 A newe markisesse He with hym broghte in..pompe..neuere was ther seyn..So noble array.
c1500 Melusine (1895) 214 They were espoused & maryed togidre, & was the feste holden right grete & noble.
c1500 (?a1475) Assembly of Gods (1896) 1159 (MED) The gret Alpha & Oo..For that nobyll tryumphe had hem thedyr sent.
7. † c. Of a part of the body: important; spec. essential to life. Also figurative. Obsolete.
a. Having qualities or properties of a very high or admirable kind.Frequently in the comparative and superlative, denoting superiority to other things of the same name.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [adjective] > and noble or magnificent > of features
noblec1300
c1300 St. Kenelm (Laud) 267 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 353 For ȝwane it out of heouene cam..Ȝwat noblere relike miȝte beo.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. 1830 The moste noble creature Of alle tho that god hath wroght.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) III. 1239 He behylde that noble swerde, and the pomell and the hauffte was all precious stonys.
c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 48v (MED) Among alle planetis þe sunne is moost noble, and herte and ȝeuere of liȝt to alle oþir.
a1513 J. Irland Meroure of Wyssdome (1926) I. 11 The noble and worthi vniuersite of Paris.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Biiii We haue nat taken their errours: but the noble veritees or truthes of philosophy.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 114 The Horse..the noblest, the goodliest,..and the trustiest beast that wee vse in our seruice.
1631 D. Widdowes tr. W. A. Scribonius Nat. Philos. (new ed.) 50 Sences of certaine parts are more or lesse noble. The nobler are Seeing, and Hearing.
1684 R. Waller tr. Ess. Nat. Exper. Acad. del Cimento 132 In Waters generally held the lightest, purest, and noblest, the little cloud is thinner.
1740 H. Bracken Farriery Improv'd (ed. 2) II. iii. 81 A Horse is a noble Creature, naturally strong and courageous.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth II. 49 So we find that the noblest animals are ever the least fruitful.
1835 Penny Cycl. III. 421/2 The noble race of Barbary horses which we commonly call barbs.
1871 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues I. 14 In all bodily actions, not quietness, but the greatest agility and quickness, is noblest and best.
1949 H. Wilcox Six Moons in Sulawesi iii. 72 The two noble, supermasculine beasts lumber up to each other and then, instead of coming to grips, elevate their noses.
2000 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Dec. 274/2 With his first taste of the noble wine, he began ordering it for his cellar.
b. Originally, of stones or metal: †precious (obsolete); (also) †not destroyed by fire (obsolete). Later, of a metal such as gold, silver, or platinum: resisting corrosion, as by oxidation or the action of acids; relatively unreactive; (of any chemical element) low in the electrochemical series. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > gem or precious stone > [adjective] > quality
noblea1393
femalea1398
malea1398
orientc1400
fine-cut1598
of the old (also new) rock1598
watered1624
occidental1747
semi-precious1905
the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > metals > [adjective] > properties
noble1666
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > types of metal generally > [adjective] > other types or qualities of metal
refinable1607
maiden1622
conflatory1650
calcinable1652
noble1666
deft1683
tensile1841
calcigenous1854
multiple-phase1891
slagless1899
air-hardening1901
non-ferrous1909
free-cutting1923
multiphase1946
semi-metallic1974
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. 465 (MED) The Ston noblest of alle, The which that men Carbuncle calle.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 204 Parius stoon is a kynde of noble [L. eximii] marble and precious.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 272 Sen he is maist noble of princis, jt sittis wele he haue croune of the nobilast of all metallis.
a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Gloucester) (1971) 765 (MED) The iij vessel was of lede & full of nobyll precious stones.
1666 R. Boyle Origine Formes & Qualities 360 Our Menstruum may have a particular operation upon some Noble..parts of the Gold.
1708 J. C. Compl. Collier 5 in T. Nourse Mistery of Husbandry Discover'd (ed. 3) Was it ever heard of, or known that this Noble, this Main-Coale, was sold..for 8s. per Chaldron?
1796 R. Kirwan Elements Mineral. (ed. 2) II. 89 The three first [sc. Gold, Platina, Silver] and Quicksilver commonly called Noble and Perfect metals.
1813 R. Bakewell Introd. Geol. iii. 79 Many specimens have the characters of the precious or noble serpentine.
1845 E. A. Parnell Elem. Chem. Anal. (new ed.) iii. 96 Silver and palladium are the only noble metals which dissolve in melted bisulphate of potash. [Note] Noble metals are those which do not become converted into oxides, but remain bright when heated in the air.
1907 E. S. Merriam tr. H. Danneel Electrochem. v. 134 Metals whose solution pressure is less than that of hydrogen..have a negative potential. The same thing is meant when we speak of the ‘nobility’ of the metals; silver is more noble than zinc, and zinc is less noble than hydrogen, etc.
1938 R. W. Lawson tr. G. von Hevesy & F. A. Paneth Man. Radioactivity (ed. 2) xxii. 218 They can only be contemplated for those radio-elements which are to some extent electrochemically noble, and hence especially for the isotopes of lead, bismuth, and polonium.
1956 E. C. Potter Electrochem. x. 234 We may summarize this mode of corrosion..by saying ‘it is unwise to permit a metal to contact an aqueous solution of a salt of a metal more noble than itself.’
1990 C. Paglia Sexual Personae vii. 210 Rosalind is the catalyst of As You Like It, the magic elixir transmuting base into noble metals.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > system > [adjective] > organ > action of vital organs
noblea1398
vital1482
sustentative1877
psychoid1911
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 35 If blood faileþ, hete defieþ flewme, for he fondiþ to fede the membres..þerby, & so fleume is noblere þan Colera or melancolia.
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 168 Medicynes attractiuez..drawe materies fro noble membres & fro profounde, i.depe, to vnnoble membrez.
1568 G. Skeyne Breue Descriptioun Pest v. sig. A7 The hart and nobillest interioure partis of the body.
1632 R. Sherwood Dict. sig. Bbij/2, in R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues (new ed.) The noble parts of the body.
1668 N. Culpeper & A. Cole tr. T. Bartholin Anat. (new ed.) Introd. The Bellies are certain remarkeable Cavities of the Body, wherein some noble bowel is placed.
1721 R. Bradley Philos. Acct. Wks. Nature 67 The Flounder and many others will live a long time after their Bowels and more noble parts are taken out of them.
1737 D. Hume Let. Dec. in R. Wollheim Hume on Relig. (1963) 10 I am at present castrating my work, that is, cuting off its noble Parts, that is, endeavouring it shall give as little Offence as possible.
1843 E. S. Abdy tr. R. von Falkenstein Water Cure (ed. 2) 44 A diseased function of one of the nobler organs.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VII. 100 The overgrowth of the neuroglia tissue at the expense of the noble elements.
d. Falconry. Designating a falcon or long-winged hawk, such as a peregrine or merlin, that flies high and swoops down on its prey, rather than chasing after it.In some of the quotations the general sense A. 7a may be intended.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Falconiformes (falcons, etc.) > family Accipitridae (hawks, etc.) > [adjective] > of hawk > having parts of particular type
sorec1450
mailed1575
noble1606
pounced1687
ignoble1768
1606 Bp. J. Hall Arte Diuine Medit. xv. 82 The soule, like vnto some noble Hauk, lets passe the Crowes.
1655 I. Walton Compl. Angler (ed. 2) iv. 101 The little Wren and Titmouse will have twentie young at a time, when usually the noble Hawk, or the Musical Thrassel or Black-bird, exceed not four or five.
1825 W. Scott Betrothed vii, in Tales Crusaders II. 151 The merchant threw off the noble hawk he bore, having first unhooded her to give her a view of her quarry.
1834 R. Mudie Feathered Tribes Brit. Islands I. 79 The old division of noble and ignoble hawks.
1855 W. S. Dallas Syst. Nat. Hist. II. 360 The True or Noble Falcons, which are distinguished..by..a slight festoon or sinuosity on the lateral margins of the upper mandible.
1860 F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Ballads II. 321 O wha is aught yon noble hawk, That stands your kitchen in?
1866 Duke of Argyll Reign of Law iii. 166 The Hawks have been classified as ‘noble’ or ‘ignoble’, according to the length and sharpness of their wings.
1881 Appletons' Jrnl. Sept. 247/1 Your noble hawk is but a bird of prey at the best.
1965 D. P. Mannix All Creatures Great & Small (rev. ed.) vi. 95 Temperamentally, goshawks are entirely different than the ‘noble’ falcons.
e. Winemaking. Designating a variety of grape recognized as consistently producing wine of outstanding quality under favourable conditions.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular types of fruit > [adjective] > of edible berries > of grapes or types of grape
grapy1594
omphacine1651
Nebbiolo1788
labrusca1860
noble1869
Traminer1972
a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) ii. i. 70 O will you eat no grapes my royall foxe? Yes but you will, my noble grapes. View more context for this quotation
1861 Amer. Agriculturist Jan. 19/2 The Isabella, at least, can be ripened, three years out of four, as far north as Albany; and when it does mature, a noble grape it is.]
1869 N. Amer. Rev. July 160 The best, and one already planted largely for wine, is the Salem, a noble grape.
1951 H. Warner Allen Nat. Red Wines i. 6 The noble pinot in Burgundy gives the great wines of the Côte d'Or.
1976 S. F. Hallgarten German Wines vi. 61 The Riesling vine is the noblest that anyone in Germany has up till now succeeded in cultivating for the production of white wines.
1994 Oxf. Compan. Wine 1087/1 Zinfandel may not be quite such a potentially noble grape variety as Syrah but it is certainly capable of producing fine wine.
8. † b. Notable, very great. Obsolete. rare.
a. Surpassingly good, excellent; commendable; efficacious.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > surpassing excellence > [adjective]
sunderlyOE
noblec1330
precellentc1384
passantc1385
especialc1386
passinga1387
surmountingc1407
superlative?a1430
precelling?1435
pre-eminenta1460
outrepassed1477
divine1488
pre-excellenta1500
superexcellent1508
transcending1528
pre-ordinate1543
exceeding1552
superexcelling1554
exquisite1578
surpassingc1580
summary1587
paragon1593
transcendent1598
overmatchful1609
termless1609
overtoppinga1615
paramounta1626
overtowering1639
surpassant1654
transcendental1701
superior1711
towery1731
prize1739
supernala1817
tiptopsome1819
tip-topping1826
par excellence1839
superfine1850
towering1894
c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) 7618 (MED) Who so wille ȝiue lest Mai now here noble gest!
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1882) VIII. 21 (MED) Bernard wroot meny nobil bookes.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) 3723 (MED) Wiþ þis mete þou sal be fedde nobil venysoun.
a1450 York Plays (1885) 225 (MED) An oynement Tat nobill was and newe.
a1525 G. Myll Spectakle of Luf in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1923) I. 288 I sall to thé schaw sum nobbill examplis & historys.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 92v Of the Mulbery is made a very noble medicine for the stomake.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §401 This is a noble Experiment; for, without this help, they would have been four times as long in coming up.
1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. J. Albert de Mandelslo 99 in Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors When the president was to take leave of him, he presented him with a noble coverlet of Watte.
1794 R. B. Sheridan Duenna (new ed.) iii. 54 See that there be a noble supper provided.
1877 E. Dowden Shakspere (Macmillan Lit. Primers) vi. 77 There is noble material for tragic poetry here.
1899 W. Besant Orange Girl i. i. 19 He drank a great deal of port, of which he possessed a noble cellar.
1922 S. Lewis Babbitt xiii. 163 Together they had a noble breakfast, with waffles, and coffee..in large pots.
1993 Bayview Post (North York, Ont.) Mar. 14/4 Filled with the best of fresh market vittles, these noble snacks make for hearty lunch-time fare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > worthy of notice
specialc1405
eminentc1420
markablec1449
noteworthy1552
regardable1572
respectable1584
of —— observation1587
considerable1589
of (great, little, etc.) mark1590
signal1591
remarkable1593
conspicuous1604
noble1604
observative1608
observable1609
significant1642
noteful1644
signalized1652
tall1655
curious1682
notice-worthy1713
unco1724
noticeable1793
handsome1813
epoch-forming1816
measurable1839
epochal1857
epoch-making1863
era-making1894
epoch-marking1895
high profile1950
landmark1959
1604 Supplic. Certaine Masse-priests i As they affirme, and therein tell a most noble and remarkeable untruth.
1706 W. Salmon Pharmacopœia Bateana (ed. 3) i. x. 516/2 It cannot be done without a noble Diminution of some of their best parts.
B. n.1
1. † b. A worthy or illustrious person. Also: worthy or illustrious people collectively. Obsolete (Scottish in later use).nine nobles: see nine adj. 2c.
a. A person of noble birth or rank; a member of the nobility, a peer. Formerly also: †nobles collectively (obsolete). Frequently in plural.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [noun] > noble person or man
earleOE
wyeOE
freeOE
nobleman?c1225
athelc1275
noblec1325
douzepersc1330
freelya1350
hathela1350
gentlec1400
nobleness1490
gentle blood1575
comes1583
altezza1595
birth1596
nobility1841
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 9910 (MED) Among alle þe noble [v.r. noble folc] þat to suiche feste drowe, Of erles & of barons & of oþere heyemen inowe.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. 3758 (MED) Ther stoden ek the nobles alle Forth with the comun of the toun.
a1416 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Bodl. 953) cxlix. 8 To bynde..þe noblis of hem in manycles of yren.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 481 Princes & dukis, With maisterlingis of Messadone & many oþire noble.
1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer i. f. cccxxxiiii That is a thyng..that may drawe many hertes of noble, and voice of commune in to glory.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II ii. i. 248 The nobles hath he finde, For ancient quarrels and quite lost their hearts. View more context for this quotation
1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ i. xvii. 34 That Regicide was hack'd to peeces..by the Nobles.
1685 in J. M. Beale Hist. Burgh & Parochial Schools Fife (Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Edinb.) (1953) 194 Be my Lord Drumond and the rest of the nobles who are schollers.
1707 London Gaz. No. 4364/1 The Princes of the Throne..are understood to act in the Solemnity as Nobles of Rome.
1748 D. Hume Ess. Moral & Polit. (ed. 3) I. xxiv. 279 It consists chiefly of Nobles and landed Gentry.
1823 Ld. Byron Werner iv. i. 149 In league with the most riotous of our young nobles.
1861 H. T. Buckle Hist. Civilisation Eng. (1903) II. 89 In France..the great nobles held their lands, not so much by grant, as by prescription.
1904 H. Adams Mont-Saint-Michel & Chartres i. 3 For every noble whose name or blood survived in England or in Normandy, we must reckon hundreds of peasants.
1968 P. Warner Sieges of Middle Ages viii. 143 Although the usual slaughter of lower ranks occurred only one noble was killed.
1992 E. Moon Legacy of Gird 26 Behind the lord's horse came others equally gaudily caparisoned: young nobles in velvets and furs.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > fame or renown > famous or eminent person > [noun]
kingeOE
master-spiritc1175
douzepersc1330
sire1362
worthya1375
lantern1382
sira1400
greatc1400
noblec1400
persona1425
lightc1425
magnate?a1439
worthyman1439
personagec1460
giant1535
honourablec1540
triedc1540
magnifico1573
ornament1573
signor1583
hero1592
grandee1604
prominent1608
name1611
magnificent1612
choice spirita1616
illustricity1637
luminary1692
lion1715
swell1786
notable1796
top-sawyer1826
star1829
celebrity1831
notability1832
notoriety1841
mighty1853
tycoon1861
reputation1870
public figure1871
star turn1885
headliner1896
front-pager1899
legend1899
celeb1907
big name1909
big-timer1917
Hall of Famer1948
megastar1969
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) 1750 (MED) In dreȝ droupyng of dreme draueled þat noble.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 6782 The noble [Fr. Le vaillant home] dide such labour To susteyne evere the loyalte.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. d Than thei nobillis at neid yeid to thair note new.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 284 Mony noble..to þe note yode..There was honerable Ercules.
c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 34 The maist anciant nobilis that hes bene in ald tymis.
a1600 ( W. Stewart tr. H. Boece Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 698 This Godefrye..Quhilk numberit is amang the nobillis nyne.
c. U.S. slang. A person whose role is to lead or protect those who work during a strike (see also quot. 19301). Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > worker > those involved in labour relations > [noun] > leader of workers replacing strikers
noble1930
1930 N.Y. Times Mag. 27 Apr. 4/5 They are the ‘nobles’, or gunmen, who try to frighten those who persist in working into joining the strikers, or, if they are retained by the other side, attack the pickets and strike leaders.
1930 Amer. Mercury Dec. 456/2 Noble, a guard for strike breakers. ‘Me work? Don't be foolish. I'm a noble, I am.’
1937 N.Y. Times 22 Dec. 22 Noble, a lieutenant of strike operations usually in charge of a detachment of guards, sluggers and finks.
1952 ‘H. Grey’ Hoods 254 ‘What the hell is a noble?’.. ‘We're like the bosses over the finks.’
1960 H. Wentworth & S. B. Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang 356/2 Noble. 1. A strike-breaker's guard. 2. The boss of a gang of strike-breakers; a chief fink.
2.
a. An English gold coin first minted by Edward III, usually valued at 6s. 8d. (half a mark). Now historical.angel-, farthing-, George-, Harry, lion, mail, rose, thistle noble: see the first element.The following are some of the older statements as to the value of the noble at different periods:
▸ a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1876) VI. 259 A duket, þat is worþy half an Englisshe noble.
?a1425 (a1400) Brut (Corpus Cambr.) 294 [The] floreyn þat was clept þe ‘noble’, of value of vjs. and viijd.
1469 in Archaeologia (1806) 15 167 On pece therof rennyng for xs. of sterlings, which shalbe called the noble of gold.
1543 R. Record Ground of Artes i. sig. M.viv A Noble, called a George, is worthe 6 s. 8 d.
1543 R. Record Ground of Artes i. sig. M.viv An olde Noble, called an Henry, is worth 2 crownes,..that is 10 s.
a1599 E. Spenser View State Ireland 92, in J. Ware Two Hist. Ireland (1633) I doe put onely 7. Nobles rent and composition.., that is 40. shil: for composition, and 6. shil: 8. pence for Cheiferie to her Majestie.
1685 R. Baxter Paraphr. New Test. Mark xiv. 45 Fifty two French crowns, and a half a crown is 6s. 8d., our Noble.
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) A Noble is also a Scotch Coin worth 6¼d. English, and of which three make a Pound.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > noble or angel
noble1350
shipc1410
Harry noble1456
angel1469
rose noble1473
angel noble1488
George noble1526
gunhole angela1577
angel piecea1665
rose royal1688
1350 in A. H. Thomas Cal. Plea & Mem. Rolls London Guildhall (1926) I. 233 Nobles.
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. iii. 46 Heo tolde him a tale and tok him a noble, For to ben hire beode-mon.
1496–7 Act 12 Hen. VII c. 6 Preamble Att whiche tyme the seid fyne was but of the value of halfe an olde noble sterling.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. clxiii. 201 He payed for his raunsome sixe thousande nobuls.
1552 T. Wilson Rule of Reason (rev. ed.) sig. Cviij A priest had a noble for preachyng a funerall sermon.
c1616 R. C. Times' Whistle (1871) iv. 1443 For a noble I'le stand thy friend, & healp thee out of trouble.
1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. 110 I would that I had met this Countrey-man Forty years ago, it had been Five hundred Nobles in my way.
1714 London Gaz. No. 5207/3 John Meeres of Gosport..was..Fined Twenty Nobles.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth I. iii. 59 She may aid me to melt my nobles into groats.
1873 W. H. Dixon Hist. Two Queens IV. xix. i. 5 Henry heard him play, and tossed him twenty nobles.
1963 Times 15 Feb. 12/4 Yesterday a Richard II gold Calais noble made £210.
1996 Standard Catal. Brit. Coins: Coins of Eng. & U.K. (ed. 31) 104 The Noble was lowered in weight in two stages over the next few years, being stabilized at 120 grains in 1351.
b. Any of various gold coins of other countries, esp. a Scottish gold coin having the same nominal value (6s. 8d. Scots) as the English noble. Also: a Scottish silver half-mark piece. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > Scottish coins > [noun] > silver coins
mark1379
noble1417
yokindale1536
Douglas groat1554
James Royal1567
leg1687
fourteen-shilling piece1695
thirteen-pence-halfpenny piece1723
spurred groata1773
sword dollar1825
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > foreign coins > [noun] > European gold coins
ducata1387
noble1417
pistolet1553
pistole1592
florin1611
gubber1711
Augustal1848
1417 in M. T. Löfvenberg Contrib. Middle Eng. Lexicogr. & Etymol. (1946) 66 (MED) Burgoigne nobles.
1455 Ayr Burgh Court Bks. 9 Dec. For the dichting of the calsa vii nobill.
c1500 in J. Harley et al. Rep. MSS R. R. Hastings (1928) I. 420 A Noble of Scotland with a stare on the on syde.
1598 Acts Parl. Scotl. (1816) IV. 175/2 The Ghentis nobill..vij li. xiij s. iiij d.
1618 in W. Fraser Annandale Family Bk. II. 278 For the greatest fine..is a noble.
1702 T. Morer Short Acct. Scotl. 23 Their Mark is 13d. of our Money, and the half of that is their Noble.
1887 T. Burns Coinage Scotl. II. 353 Half-merks and Forty-Penny Pieces. Now commonly called Nobles and Half-Nobles.
1955 I. H. Stewart Sc. Coinage 27 The noble of David II is a really fine coin.
1962 R. A. G. Carson Coins 390 The first gold denominations were struck by John I (1481–1513); the noble..has the unusual obverse inscription Johannes dei gra rex Danorum iussit me fieri.
c. to bring one's noble to ninepence and variants: to behave with wasteful extravagance. Now rare (English regional in later use).
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > waste of money or extravagance > spend money wastefully or extravagantly [verb (intransitive)]
to lay on load?1562
lavish1567
to bring one's noble to ninepence1568
to lay it ona1593
overspend1857
plunge1876
splash1934
splurge1934
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. v. sig. H He maketh his martes with marchantes lykely, To bryng a shillyng to nyne pence quickely.]
1568 U. Fulwell Like wil to Like D iv Tom tospot since he went hence, Hath increased a noble iust vnto nine pence.
1660 J. Howell Θηρολογια 59 You make the poor husband oftentimes to turn a noble to nine-pence.
1689 R. L'Estrange tr. Erasmus Sel. Colloquies (ed. 2) xxii. 283 I have e'en brought a Noble to Nine-pence.
1779 V. Knox Ess. II. iv. 249 I do not bring my noble to ninepence, and my ninepence to nothing.
1823 W. Scott St. Ronan's Well I. x. 235 It's the jinketting and the jirbling with tea and with trumpery that brings our nobles to ninepence.
1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 60 He'll soon bring his noble to ninepence.
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) To spend lavishly or to live extravagantly is said to be the way to bring the noble to ninepence.
d. Frequently with capital initial. More fully platinum noble. Each of three coins containing 1, 1/ 4, and 1/ 10 of a troy ounce of platinum respectively, and with face values of £10, £2.50, and £1.The coins are non-circulating legal tender on the Isle of Man, and are chiefly bought as an investment.
ΚΠ
1983 Coin News Dec. 13/1 Krugerrand and other gold bullion investment coins are being threatened by the new Platinum Noble... In a pilot scheme about 25,000 nobles each containing one ounce of platinum are being offered to investors.
1986 G. Clark Symbols of Excellence 64 Platinum nobles have been struck in the Isle of Man to compete with krugerrands as a hedge against inflation.
1992 Numismatist Mar. 368 (advt.) These reputable dealers stock Gold Angels, Platinum Nobles and other Pobjoy Products.
1997 Guardian 19 Nov. (Society section) 2/3 In the Isle of Man, a legal tender platinum coin called a noble was minted with Royal Assent in 1983.
Compounds
C1.
a. † noble couraged adj. Obsolete† noble descended adj. Obsolete† noble-gartered adj. Obsolete
noble-born adj.
ΚΠ
1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes sig. X.iiii Here lieth she that... Was noble borne and matcht in noble race, Lord Wentworthes wife.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII ii. iv. 138 Shee's Noble borne; And like her true Nobility, she ha's Carried her selfe towards me. View more context for this quotation
2001 Toronto Sun (Nexis) 30 Nov. (Entertainment section) 5 Mongryong goes away to finish school and do the noble things a noble-born guy must do.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > courage > [adjective]
courageous1297
heartya1375
leoninec1386
heartlya1450
well-stomached1478
couraged?1529
noble couraged1561
heartsome1567
Roman1577
generous1596
nerved1615
noble-spiriteda1617
noble-hearted1684
courageable1689
lion-hearted1708
1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer iv. sig. Rr.iv Wicked Tirannes againste whom these noble couraged Demigoddes kept continual..warr.
ΚΠ
1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares sig. *2 Wife to the thrice magnanimous, and noble discended Knight.
a1612 J. Harington Epigrams (1618) ii. 96 I wish him a wife most wise, Noble descended from great De la Poole.
ΚΠ
1659 R. Wild Poems (1870) 16 The noble-gartered ‘Honi soit’.
noble-hearted adj.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > courage > [adjective]
courageous1297
heartya1375
leoninec1386
heartlya1450
well-stomached1478
couraged?1529
noble couraged1561
heartsome1567
Roman1577
generous1596
nerved1615
noble-spiriteda1617
noble-hearted1684
courageable1689
lion-hearted1708
1684 T. Otway Atheist iv. 47 My Dear Generous, Noble-hearted Widow! She that loves Liberty as I do.
1806 T. S. Surr Winter in London I. ix. 227 A noble-hearted, but unfortunate..brother.
1992 M. Clynes White Rose Murder (BNC) 75 He had his failings, but he was a great prince. Noble-hearted and generous to a fault.
noble-natured adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > morally elevated quality > [adjective] > high-minded or magnanimous
athelmodc1275
freec1380
worthya1393
great-heartedc1425
noble1447
magnanimec1475
greata1500
haught1530
magnanimous1547
heartya1555
high-minded1556
noble-natured1576
generous1581
noble-minded1586
liberal-minded1592
ingenious1597
ingenuous1598
large-hearted1607
noble-tempered1654
big-hearted1711
broad-hearted1719
megalopsychic1896
big1910
1576 W. Blandie tr. J. Osório Fiue Bks. i. f. 35 v I thought it the part and propertie of a noble natured yong man, earnestly bent to the study of moste worthy knowledges, not to rest contented with thinges of meane accompt.
1646 N. Lockyer Eng. faithfully watcht With 1 The power of Christ doth make life, and makes this life more abundant, that is, strong enough to shew it selfe in every action as such a life, as such a noble-natured thing.
1797 S. J. Pratt Family Secrets I. xx. 151 The dastardy of spirit..could not but strike the noble-natured Caroline, and she beheld the shrinking coward dressed in the robe of the tyrant.
1840 C. Norton Dream 190 Not so, O! noble-natured brute, would'st thou quiescent rest.
2007 Commonw. Rev. 16 70 John Mist, a noble-natured British [sic], becomes a ‘Hindoo’ precisely because of his attachment to the soil and affection for the people.
noble-souled adj.
ΚΠ
1658 A. Cokayne Small Poems ii. 132 But you are noble-soul'd, and had much rather Bestow a benefit, then receive a favour.
1823 J. McHenry Wilderness viii. 151 This was the noble-souled Washington, who loved Maria.
1988 Guardian Weekly (Nexis) 28 Aug. 26 Prospero here emerges as a noble-souled master of ceremonies.
noble-spirited adj.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > courage > [adjective]
courageous1297
heartya1375
leoninec1386
heartlya1450
well-stomached1478
couraged?1529
noble couraged1561
heartsome1567
Roman1577
generous1596
nerved1615
noble-spiriteda1617
noble-hearted1684
courageable1689
lion-hearted1708
a1617 S. Hieron Penance for Sinne in Wks. (1620) II. 403 Well fare that noble-spirited souldier.
1848 T. A. Buckley tr. Homer Iliad 303 A lion coming among a herd, tawny, noble-spirited.
2001 Daily Mail (Nexis) 29 Dec. 28 Other noble-spirited neighbours came over and sorted out my wilderness garden and rubble paths.
noble-tempered adj. now rare
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > morally elevated quality > [adjective] > high-minded or magnanimous
athelmodc1275
freec1380
worthya1393
great-heartedc1425
noble1447
magnanimec1475
greata1500
haught1530
magnanimous1547
heartya1555
high-minded1556
noble-natured1576
generous1581
noble-minded1586
liberal-minded1592
ingenious1597
ingenuous1598
large-hearted1607
noble-tempered1654
big-hearted1711
broad-hearted1719
megalopsychic1896
big1910
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 413 It hath been alwaies the Aimes of the Noblest-temper'd Spirits.
1845 New Monthly Mag. Aug. 631 Among elephants may be found..as generous, noble-tempered animals as good men ever delighted to win to their will by kindness.
1934 19th Cent. & After Aug. (Lit. Suppl.) p. vi./1 It is rather a noble-tempered book. But the charge against Herr Hitler's Government is specific.
b. † noble-ending adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iv. vi. 27 A Testament of Noble-ending -loue. View more context for this quotation
noble-looking adj.
ΚΠ
1742 R. Poole Journey France & Holland I. 30/1 Passed by some other noble looking building, but could not learn to whom it belong'd.
1859 J. H. Ingraham Pillar of Fire i. xviii. 305 I regarded this noble-looking bondwoman with surprise.
1968 V. Nabokov King, Queen, Knave ii. 36 Among them was the magnificent portrait of a noble-looking gentleman.
2014 Tampa Bay (Florida) Times (Nexis) 1 Aug. 1 b One notable local ad features a noble-looking fighter pilot standing next to an impressive-looking jet.
c.
noble-heartedness n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > courage > [noun]
elne888
bieldc890
daringc1374
coraiouste1382
inwit1382
courageousnessa1513
courage1540
couragie1556
valour1581
nerve1602
stoutheartednessa1683
noble-heartedness1836
lionheartedness1885
gut1893
gutsiness1893
bottle1958
1836 T. F. Dibdin Reminisc. Lit. Life I. v. 191 So much information, such Teniers-like crispness and vigour of touch in the several pictures delineated, such proper and noble-heartedness of feeling.
1850 H. Melville White-jacket lxxii. 354 That peculiar noble-heartedness and exaggerated generosity of disposition fictitiously imputed to him.
2001 Hindu (Nexis) 19 Feb. The suggestion for conciliation on the Ayodha issue invokes noble-heartedness.
C2. † noble agrimony n. Obsolete a hepatica of continental Europe, Hepatica nobilis; cf. noble liverwort n.† noble liverwort n. Obsolete (originally) a hepatica of continental Europe, Hepatica nobilis; (in later use) a related species of the U.S., H. americana.† noble opal n. Obsolete precious opal.† noble orange n. Obsolete a mandarin orange, the fruit of the tree Citrus reticulata.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > buttercup and allied flowers > anemones
anemone1548
rose parsley1548
windflower1551
agrimony1578
hepatica1578
liverwort1578
noble agrimony1578
noble liverwort1578
pasque flower1578
Coventry bells1597
flaw-flower1597
herb trinity1597
pulsatilla1597
emony1644
wood-anemone1657
Robin Hood1665
poppy anemone1731
Alpine anemone1774
liverleaf1820
Japan anemone1847
Pennsylvania wind flower1869
smell fox1892
prairie smoke1893
prairie crocus1896
St. Brigid anemone1902
Japanese anemonec1908
Spanish marigold-
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball i. xl. 59 [It] maye be called in English Hepatica, Noble Agrimonie, or Three leafe Lyuerwurte.
1679 G. Miege Dict. Barbarous French sig. M2v/2 Epatique, for hepatique, or the herb Trinity, or noble Agrimony.
1878 J. Britten & R. Holland Dict. Eng. Plant-names Index 2 Anemone Hepatica, L. Herb Trinity, Liverwort, Liverwort (Threeleaved), Noble Agrimony.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 424/2 The name [agrimony] has been unsystematically given to several other plants; for instance:..noble or three-leaved agrimony (Anemone hepatica).
noble art n. (with the) boxing (cf. noble science n.).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > boxing > [noun]
defence1549
pugilation1656
fencing1692
boxing1693
the (noble, also manly) art of self-defence1724
noble art1749
bruising1750
ring1770
noble science1778
pugilism1788
sparring1797
the sweet science1810
the fancy1820
pugilistics1820
pugnastics1830
fista1839
scrapping1891
ring-work1899
no contest1922
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones I. iii. iv. 174 Tom was much his Superior at the noble Art of Boxing. View more context for this quotation
1788 T. Cockaine (title) The complete art of boxing..to which is added the general history of boxing, containing an account of the most eminent professors of that noble art.
1870 C. Dickens Edwin Drood xvii. 129 In these last particulars the Professors of the Noble Art were much nobler than the Professors of Philanthropy.
1987 Independent 16 Dec. 28/7 (heading) Ken Jones discovers a heavyweight among the literature of the noble art.
Noble Experiment n. [apparently alluding to a letter, later repeated in a speech by former U.S. President Herbert Hoover (1874–1964); see quot. 19281] the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, under which the sale of alcohol was prohibited in the U.S. between 1920 and 1933, regarded as an experiment in social engineeering; prohibition under these terms.
ΚΠ
1928 H. C. Hoover Let. to W. E. Borah 23 Feb. in N.Y. Times 24 Feb. 1/1 A great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose.]
1928 N.Y. Times 3 Apr. 28/7 Mr. Hoover..calls the Eighteenth Amendment a ‘noble experiment’.
1929 Amer. Polit. Sci. Rev. 23 475 The high-hatted Hoover with his ‘noble experiment’.
1943 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 8 198 Persons accused of violating the statutes enforcing the ‘Noble Experiment’.
1996 N.Y. Times 26 May 7/3 The Noble Experiment of Prohibition failed.
noble fir n. a tall fir tree, Abies procera, native to mountainous parts of western North America.
ΚΠ
1838 J. C. Loudon Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum IV. 2342 P. nobilis Dougl. The noble, or large-bracted, Silver Fir.]
1857 Explor. & Surv. for Railroad: Bot. Rep. (U.S. War Dept.) 49 Picea nobilis. The noble fir.
1885 J. L. Onderdonk Idaho 31 The Noble Fir inhabits all our mountain ranges at an elevation of from 3,000 to 5,000 feet.
1987 K. Rushforth Tree Planting & Managem. (1990) 143/1 Noble fir is a very attractive species, both for the generally blue foliage and for the silver-grey trunk.
2014 R. Spellenberg et al. Trees Western N. Amer. 62/1 Red Fir and Noble Fir are the only North American firs that are economically important timber species.
noble liquid n. a liquefied noble gas.
ΚΠ
1963 Rev. Sci. Instruments 34 817/2 (title) Improved noble liquid scintillation counter.
1971 Nature 29 Oct. 617/1 We are working towards the development of a thin multiconductor chamber filled with a noble liquid.
2010 S. Golwala & D. McKinsey in D. L. Goodstein Adventures in Cosmol. x. 302 This proliferation of experiments using noble liquids has arisen primarily because noble liquid detectors may be easily scaled to large masses.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > buttercup and allied flowers > anemones
anemone1548
rose parsley1548
windflower1551
agrimony1578
hepatica1578
liverwort1578
noble agrimony1578
noble liverwort1578
pasque flower1578
Coventry bells1597
flaw-flower1597
herb trinity1597
pulsatilla1597
emony1644
wood-anemone1657
Robin Hood1665
poppy anemone1731
Alpine anemone1774
liverleaf1820
Japan anemone1847
Pennsylvania wind flower1869
smell fox1892
prairie smoke1893
prairie crocus1896
St. Brigid anemone1902
Japanese anemonec1908
Spanish marigold-
the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medical preparations of specific origin > medicine composed of a plant > [noun] > plant used in medicine > specific plant > liverwort (anemone hepatica triloba)
liverwort1578
noble liverwort1578
liverleaf1820
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball i. xl. 59 The Hepatica, or Noble Lyuerwurte, is a souveraigne medicine, against the heate..of the Lyuer.
1648 J. Bobart Eng. Catal. at Liverwort, in Catalogus Plantarum Horti Medici Oxoniensis Single blew noble Liverw [ort].
1731 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. I. at Hepatica Hepatica trifolia, flore cæruleo pleno. Clus. The double blue Hepatica, or Noble Liver-wort.
1836 D. B. Edward Hist. Texas 42 I can give but few examples [of the herb varieties], such as..the noble liver-wort, the wild liver-wort [etc.].
1893 Amer. Folk-Lore 6 136 Hepatica triloba, noble liverwort. Buckfield, Oxford Co., Me.
ΚΠ
1801 tr. M. H. Klaproth Analyt. Ess. Chem. Knowl. Mineral Substances I. 440 Chemical examination of the Noble Opal.
1851 G. A. Mantell Petrifactions iv. §1. 364 Opaline substances,—the noble opal; sun-opal; common opal; [etc.].
1874 H. M. Westropp Man. Precious Stones 38 The noble or precious opal..exhibits a rich play of prismatic colours, which flash from minute fissures apparently striated with microscopic lines.
1898 N.E.D. at Harlequin The Oriental or noble opal.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > fruit or a fruit > citrus fruit > [noun] > orange > types of orange
Seville orange1593
bigarade1658
Tangerine orange1710
mikan1727
mandarin1771
naartjie1790
blood orange1806
blood-red orange1826
Tangerine1842
navel orange1856
Florida orange1861
Bengal quince1866
noble orange1866
blood1867
satsuma1881
citrange1903
tangelo1904
sour orange1920
clementine1926
ortanique1936
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular types of fruit > [noun] > citrus fruit > orange > types of orange
Seville orange1593
kumquat1699
Tangerine orange1710
mikan1727
mandarin1771
naartjie1790
blood orange1806
St. Michael'sc1830
Tangerine1842
navel orange1856
Florida orange1861
Bengal quince1866
noble orange1866
blood1867
Jaffa1881
satsuma1881
navel1882
citrange1903
tangelo1904
Valencia1915
sour orange1920
clementine1926
minneola1931
ortanique1936
1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. I. 292 The Noble or Mandarin Orange is a small flattened and deep orange.
1882 R. Bentley Man. Bot. (ed. 4) ii. iii. 485 Other varieties are sometimes imported, as the Noble or Mandarin Orange and the Tangerine Orange.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† noblev.
Obsolete.
transitive. To make noble, to ennoble.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > majesty, glory, or grandeur > exaltation or glorification > exalt or glorify [verb (transitive)] > impart nobility to
noblec1380
transfigurec1380
nobley?a1439
noblish1483
ennoble1502
gentle1532
nobilitate1542
ennoblize1598
ennoblishc1600
sublimate1601
greaten1627
exalt1711
annoblize1731
c1380 G. Chaucer Second Nun's Tale 40 Thow mayde and moder..Thow nobledest [v.rr. noblest, nobelyste]..oure nature.
c1450 Speculum Christiani (Harl. 6580) (1933) 40 (MED) Almes es an holy thynge..it noblez [L. nobilitat] the mynde.
1546 J. Bale Actes Eng. Votaryes: 1st Pt. f. 77v Onlye ys yt Gods true knowlege, that nobleth yow before hym.
1595 W. Covell Polimanteia T Haue you not had..a Princesse truelie nobled with all vertues.
1621 R. Montagu Diatribæ Hist. Tithes 353 Your nobling and divining him elsewhere would not serve your turne.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
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n.31808
adj.n.1?c1225
v.c1380