/ nəʊˈbɪləti; NAmE noʊ-/ noun
1.
the nobility [ sing.+ sing./pl. v . ] people of high social position who have titles such as that of duke or duchess
SYN the aristocracy
2.
[ U ] ( formal ) the quality of being noble in character
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French nobilite or Latin nobilitas , from nobilis noted, high-born, from an Indo-European root shared by know .