ə̇ˈnōbəl, eˈ- transitive verb
( ennobled ; ennobled ; ennobling -b(ə)liŋ ; ennobles )
Etymology: Middle English ennobelen, from Middle French ennoblir, from Old French, from en- en- (I) + noble, adjective
1. : to make noble : elevate in degree or excellence
what can ennoble sots, or slaves, or cowards — Alexander Pope
our buildings are thus ennobled by the devotion to service which they proclaim — Joseph Hudnut
2. : to raise to the rank of nobility
was ennobled by Charles II
3. archaic : to make noted or conspicuous
4.
a. : to transmute (a base metal) into a noble metal
the … conception of ennobling metals by a process of death and resurrection — S.F.Mason
b. : to make (a metal, as iron) resistant to corrosion