noble

Word family

no·ble1 /ˈnəʊbəl $ ˈnoʊ-/ adjectiveadj

1 GOOD/MORALmorally good or generous in a way that is admired 高尚的，崇高的

It’s very noble of you to spend all your weekends helping the old folk.

你心地真好，周末的时间全都用来帮助老人。

noble ideals

崇高的理想

2 [only before noun] belonging to the nobility 贵族的，显贵的

noble family/blood/birth etc

a member of an ancient noble family

古老贵族家庭成员

The Marquis would have to marry a woman of noble blood.

那位侯爵必须和有贵族血统的女子结婚。

3 BEAUTIFUL/GOOD-LOOKINGsomething that is noble is very impressive and beautiful 宏伟的，堂皇的，壮丽的

the old church with its noble tower

有宏伟塔楼的老教堂

4. noble gas/metal HCM technical a noble gas or metal is not affected chemically by other substances 惰性气体/贵金属 → 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 高尚的野蛮人

Examples from the Corpus

noble• In the end, none of the characters are good or noble.• a man of noble birth• Above these were the heavily armed cavalry, who were free vassals of noble blood.• The Siberian tiger is regarded as a noble creature.• In its place she put her noble Negro, patient, saintly Tom.• a noble purpose• He was rough as a bear in manner, but withal a noble, tender-hearted fellow and a splendid soldier.• I was not paid to preside over disasters - however noble the cause.• Those intentions were noble, the realisation fraught.

noble family/blood/birth etc• His long fingernails attest that his was not a life of hard physical labour but that he was probably of noble birth.• This woman of noble birth chose to study philosophy rather than relish in her beauty.• Its ranks are open to all young men of noble birth regardless of where they live within the Empire.• Biscop Baducing was born into a noble family, then was ordained into the priesthood at the age of twenty-five.• He had seen her sitting at the high table among the other ladies of noble birth who served the Empress.• According to legend, Eurosia was a maiden of noble birth, who was promised to a pagan.• Thus Barbarossa came from a noble family, with a background that suited him to his eventual imperial career.

noble2 noun [countableC]

HIGH POSITION OR RANKa member of the highest social class with a title such as ‘Duke’ or ‘Countess’ 贵族〔如公爵或女伯爵〕

→ commoner

Examples from the Corpus

noble• a gathering of kings and nobles• And at the very top, the ancient immunities of kings and nobles.• Fathers who wanted to become nobles sacrificed their own children at altars.• The range of opinions expressed by nobles on the provincial committees made plain to St Petersburg that it had to act alone.• Second, and more important, even nobles who were determined to be recalcitrant expressed their recalcitrance in many different ways.• In relation to the total number of nobles in Gascony, the proportion of knights was therefore relatively small.• Meanwhile, his relationship with Northumberland brought other nobles into his orbit, most notably John lord Scrope of Bolton.• Might this religion not encourage revolt on the part of the nobles and peasants, as it rather did in 1638?• He attends the Imperial court in Altdorf and is one of Karl Franz's oldest and most trusted nobles.

Origin noble1

(1200-1300) Old French Latin nobilis

no·ble1 adjectiveadjnoble2 noun

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus