I. no ‧ ble 1 /ˈnəʊb ə l $ ˈnoʊ-/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin nobilis ]
1 . morally good or generous in a way that is admired:
It’s very noble of you to spend all your weekends helping the old folk.
noble ideals
2 . [only before noun] belonging to the nobility
noble family/blood/birth etc
a member of an ancient noble family
The Marquis would have to marry a woman of noble blood.
3 . something that is noble is very impressive and beautiful:
the old church with its noble tower
4 . noble gas/metal technical a noble gas or metal is not affected chemically by other substances ⇨ ↑ base metal
5 . noble savage literary someone who comes from a society that is less developed or interested in money than western countries, making them morally better than people who live in western countries
II. noble 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
a member of the highest social class with a title such as ‘Duke’ or ‘Countess’
⇨ ↑ commoner