nobilityn.

Brit.

/nə(ʊ)ˈbɪlᵻti/, U.S.

/noʊˈbɪlᵻdi/

Forms: Middle English–1500s nobilitee, Middle English–1500s nobilyte, Middle English–1500s nobylitee, Middle English–1500s nobylyte, Middle English–1600s nobilite, Middle English–1600s nobilitie, 1500s nobilytie, 1500s nobilytye, 1500s–1600s nobilitye, 1500s–1600s nobillitie, 1500s–1600s nobylite, 1500s–1700s nobillity, 1500s– nobility; Scottish pre-1700 nobeletie, pre-1700 nobelietie, pre-1700 nobelite, pre-1700 nobielietie, pre-1700 nobiletie, pre-1700 nobilety, pre-1700 nobilietie, pre-1700 nobilite, pre-1700 nobilitee, pre-1700 nobilitie, pre-1700 nobilletie, pre-1700 nobillietie, pre-1700 nobillite, pre-1700 nobillitie, pre-1700 nobillitte, pre-1700 nobillity, pre-1700 nobillitye, pre-1700 nobilyte, pre-1700 nobylattie, pre-1700 nobyllattie, pre-1700 nobylyty, pre-1700 1700s– nobility.

Origin: Either (i) a borrowing from French. Or (ii) a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French nobilité; Latin nōbilitās.

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Middle French nobilité valour, merit, renown (mid 11th cent. in Old French as nobilitet ), nobility of birth (mid 15th cent.), nobles, aristocracy (early 16th cent.; in Anglo-Norman also in sense ‘great deed’) or their etymon classical Latin nōbilitās renown, distinction, noble birth, nobles, aristocracy, loftiness of character < nōbilis noble adj. + -tās (see -ty suffix¹; compare -ity suffix). Compare Italian nobilità peerage, aristocracy (early 14th cent. in Dante; a1250 in sense ‘excellence, superiority’). Compare noblesse n., nobleye n., noblehead n., nobleness n., noblety n., noblé n.²

I. The quality of nobleness.

1. The quality of being noble in respect of appearance; magnificence, stateliness; impressiveness of proportions or dimensions. rare before 19th cent.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [noun] > and nobility or magnificence

douthOE

nobilitya1387

splendour1604

heroicalness1647

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 75 Grete nobilite þat was þere in olde tyme is þere ȝit in meny places i-sene, as þe grete palys, geant his tour, noble bathes, releef of þe temples, [etc.].

1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxv. 187 There was a nobility in this glacier scene.

1926 B. Rackham in W. Buckley European Glass p. x The wonderful skill of technique shown in the finest German wheel-engraved glasses may make up only in part for the loss of nobility involved.

1992 M. Robertson Shorter Hist. Greek Art (BNC) 59 A charge of provinciality might perhaps be justified, but the nobility of the design [of the metopes from the temple of Hera at Selinus] overrides the criticism.

†2. The quality of having high status or value; renown or distinction arising from excellence. Chiefly with reference to things. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [noun]

goodnessOE

mund?c1250

daintethc1290

bountyc1300

daintyc1300

excellencec1384

virtuea1393

excellency?a1400

nobilitya1400

meritc1425

singularity?c1450

fineness1523

admirationa1533

rareness1545

rightness1561

rariety1566

rarity1566

excellentness1569

beautya1586

admirableness1607

primeness1611

gallantry1650

eximiety1656

optimity1656

altesse1660

unexceptionableness1669

excellingness1701

quality1803

sterlingness1815

stupendosity1828

goodliness1832

superbness1832

unexceptionability1837

sweetness and light1867

class1884

rortiness1885

rippingness1903

superstardom1928

motherfucker1977

awesomeness1998

society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [noun]

freedomeOE

earlshipOE

noblesse?c1225

anourc1330

freelya1350

nobleheada1382

nobletya1387

nobléc1395

nobilitya1400

generosity?a1475

apparage?1504

quality1579

a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 10 (MED) Þat þat is medlid is more able to resceiue þe noble foorme of lijf, þe which nobilite aboue alle bodies I-medlid is founden in mannes spirit.

a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 5651 A book..‘The Golden Verses’ Is clepid, for the nobilite Of the honourable ditee.

a1425 Dialogue Reason & Adversity (Cambr.) (1968) 11 (MED) Þe nobilite of a cete stondeþ neþer in hiȝe toures nor in grete richesses but in famouse storye of þe induellande.

a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 202 (MED) I thinke of my grete nobilite [v.rr. nobley, ryalte] that I have ben Inne, and of grete pouerte that I am Inne nowe.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Wisd. viii. 3 Who so hath y^e company of God, commendeth hir nobilyte.

1567 J. Maplet Greene Forest f. 25 In Nobilitie aboue Stones and Mettals are Plants.

1578 J. Banister Hist. Man iv. f. 58^v This tendon truly is of great nobilitie.

1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 138 And decoret the place quhair the feild was strukne w^t the nobilitie of the victorie.

1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies v. i. 331 That other part of the worlde,..much inferiour in nobilitie.

1678 R. Russel tr. Jabir ibn Haiyan Wks. Geber ii. i. iii. ix. 77 It [sc. silver] is a noble Body but wants of the nobility of Gold.

3. The quality, state, or condition of being noble in rank or title, or noble by birth. Also in extended use.

ΚΠ

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. 2193 (MED) It fittyng is..þat euery man desyre Of wrongis don to han amendement..Namly to swiche þat with nobilite Kynd hath endewed, & set in hiȝe degre.

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. iij^v Suche a one as was both in nobilitie of birth and in authoritie also right famous.

1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 96 Of this cumis thair pryd..and bosting of thair nobilitie.

1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy ii. iii. ii. 392 This is it belike which makes the Turkes at this day scorne nobility, and all those huffing bumbast titles.

1656 A. Cowley Pindaric Odes in Wks. (1710) I. 250 We draw a long Nobility From Hieroglyphick Proofs of Heraldry.

1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy 84 The Merchants that are grown Rich..buy their Nobility, and generally give over Trade.

1781 W. Cowper Truth 353 Royalty, nobility, and state Are such a dread preponderating weight.

1816 J. Scott Paris Revisited vii. 188 That quality which may be termed the nobility of animal nature; which is called blood, and game, in the inferior creatures.

1841 W. Spalding Italy & Ital. Islands III. 244 Nobles there are in abundance; but their nobility is valid only at court and in fashionable society.

1875 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. II. xv. 185 English nobility is merely the nobility of the hereditary counsellors of the crown.

1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 852/2 [Earl Amherst] succeeded to his title in 1797 by the remainder provided when the patent of nobility was renewed in 1788.

1992 Atlantic Jan. 6/3 Oxfordians stress the high nobility and aristocracy of Edward de Vere.

4. The quality of being noble in character; esp. the quality of having high moral principles or ideals; loftiness of character. Also in extended use.

ΘΚΠ

society > morality > virtue > morally elevated quality > [noun] > specifically in a person

honourc1300

virtuousnessc1449

freelyheadc1450

magnitude?a1475

nobility1508

ingenuity1598

1508 Porteous Noblenes 172 Thar is xij wertuis behuffull and that schawis werray nobilite.

1595 W. Jones (title) Nenna's Nennio; or a treatise of nobility; wherein is discoursed what true nobilitie is, with such qualities as are required in a perfect gentleman.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. i. 217 They say, base men being in loue, haue then a Nobility in their natures, more then is natiue to them.

a1643 J. Shute Sarah & Hagar (1649) 142 To labour for Vertue, which is true Nobility.

1687 J. Dryden Hind & Panther iii. 141 They..nam'd their Pride, Nobility of Soul.

a1711 T. Ken Christophil in Wks. (1721) I. 462 He glories only in God reconcil'd, 'Tis his Nobility to be God's Child.

1851 H. W. Longfellow Golden Legend vi. 278 All my divine nobility of nature By this one act is forfeited for ever.

1877 E. R. Conder Basis of Faith v. 203 It is man's nobility, not his defect, that the most lofty and commanding part of him is his moral nature.

1916 E. R. Burroughs Beasts of Tarzan xii. 184 That such nobility of character could lie beneath so repulsive an exterior never ceased to be a source of wonder and amazement to her.

1989 Spectator 15 Apr. 5/2 The nobility of the downtrodden is a dangerously romantic notion.

5. Chemistry. The property of an element of being noble or relatively unreactive. Cf. noble adj. 7b. Now rare.Cf. quot. 1678 at sense 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > [noun] > elements > properties

nobility1907

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’ [Ger. Edelgrad] of the metals; silver is more noble than zinc, and zinc is less noble than hydrogen, etc.

1935 Science 5 July 4/2 The sequence of electrodeposition of metals is not necessarily in the order of their ‘classic nobility’.

1974 Sci. Amer. Aug. 48/2 The supposed ‘nobility’ of the elements that make up Group Zero in the periodic table was first compromised in 1962, when Neil Bartlett..synthesized xenon hexafluoroplatinate.

II. A person who or thing which is noble.

6. In plural. Instances of nobleness of nature or character; high or excellent qualities or attributes. rare before 19th cent.

ΘΚΠ

society > morality > virtue > morally elevated quality > [noun] > specifically in a person > instances of

nobilities1921

c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 4 (MED) His first trety schal teche what god is in hym silf as to his beyng, hise dignytees, perfecciouns, and nobilitees.

1841 R. W. Emerson Ess. 1st Ser. (Boston ed.) v. 150 By conversation with that which is in itself excellent, magnanimous, lowly and just, the lover comes to a warmer love of these nobilities.

1921 R. Hichens Spirit of Time iv. 71 He pointed to the nobilities, the self-sacrifice,..the marvellous examples of courage.

1975 R. Howard tr. E. M. Cioran Short Hist. Decay i. 76 The man who acquiesces in human affairs..consumes himself in a pitiable delectation, he commingles his nobilities and his vulgarities in the confusion of Becoming.

a. The group of people forming the noble class in a country or state; a noble class, an aristocracy.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [noun] > noble class

gentle bloodc1300

gentricec1400

nobility?a1475

nobleness1490

noblessea1500

?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1872) IV. 419 (MED) Galba Seruius..a senator of olde nobilite.

a1513 J. Irland Meroure of Wyssdome (1926) I. 10 The gret nobilite of Troy as Pryame, Hector [etc.].

a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 86 A nother yl custume among the nobylyte ther ys, that every one of them wyl kepe a court lyke a prynce.

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cc^v An especyall ornamente of the Frenche Nobilytye.

1584 A. Barlowe in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1589) 730 No people in the worlde cary more respect to their King, Nobilitie, and Gournours, then these doe.

1612 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 35 A great..Nobilite addeth maiesty to a Monarch, but diminisheth power.

1631 B. Jonson New Inne iii. i. sig. D8 But Cosse, haue care of vnderstanding horses, Horses with angry heeles, Nobility horses, Horses that know the world.

1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 1654 Lords, Ladies, Captains, Councellors, or Priests, Thir choice nobility and flower.

1735 Visct. Bolingbroke Diss. upon Parties (ed. 2) 192 The Saxons had a Nobility too, arising from personal Valour, or Wisdom.

1759 S. Johnson Idler 21 Apr. 121 A street where many of the Nobility reside.

1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci i. ii. 11 All our kin, the Cenci, will be there, And all the chief nobility of Rome.

1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits x. 165 The introduction of these elements..draws the nobility into the competition.

1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters xvi. 405 The Venetians were a nobility of merchants.

1905 Baroness Orczy Scarlet Pimpernel iii. 25 Them rascals over in France, who would murder their king and all their nobility.

1921 Observer 3 Apr. 10/5 In one or two generations the nobility in England will be forced to go to work.

1990 M. Vale Angevin Legacy (BNC) 35 A common chivalric culture..bound the courts of England and France together, adding a further dimension to the complex web of relationships between the two nobilities.

b. Without article: members of a noble class; nobles collectively.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [noun] > noble person or man > collectively

nobleyea1393

gentlec1400

lordly1508

nobility1581

generous1610

high-born1686

hochgeboren1905

1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxxvii. 146 If nobilitie & gentlemen would fall to diligence.

1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 ii. v. 393 Stand aside Nobilitie .

1671 F. Philipps Regale Necessarium 199 Admitted into an Inns of Court, heretofore only destinate and appropriate to the sons of Nobility.

1765 J. Dickinson Late Regulations Brit. Colonies i In England the profits of land are so great as to support a very large number of nobility and gentry in splendour.

1791 T. Paine Rights of Man i. 104 This is the general character of aristocracy, or what are called Nobles or Nobility, or rather No-ability, in all countries.

1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad i. 20 They were to hob-nob with nobility and hold friendly converse with kings and princes.

1894 Dict. National Biogr. XXXIX. 186/2 This brought a great concourse of nobility and gentry to the church.

1989 S. G. Hall & J. Clutton-Brock 200 Years Brit. Farm Livestock i. 12 So began a long line of interest by royalty and nobility in horse breeding.

†c. Chess. The pieces other than pawns. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > pieces > superior pieces

nobility1656

nobleman1656

officer1805

major piece1945

1656 W. Howard in Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion (1704) III. xv. 497 I have often observ'd, that a desperate game at Chess has been recover'd after the loss of the Nobility, only by playing the pawns well.

d. A member of a noble class, a peer. Frequently in plural. Now rare.

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

1841 T. Carlyle On Heroes vi. 337 One leaves all these Nobilities standing in their niches of honour.

1889 ‘M. Twain’ Connecticut Yankee xliii. 551 All the nobilities, big and little, were on their way, and all the gentry.

1927 L. Mayer Just between us Girls vii. 43 Honestly those nobilities can make love divinely.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	nobility
释义	nobilityn. Brit. /nə(ʊ)ˈbɪlᵻti/, U.S. /noʊˈbɪlᵻdi/ Forms: Middle English–1500s nobilitee, Middle English–1500s nobilyte, Middle English–1500s nobylitee, Middle English–1500s nobylyte, Middle English–1600s nobilite, Middle English–1600s nobilitie, 1500s nobilytie, 1500s nobilytye, 1500s–1600s nobilitye, 1500s–1600s nobillitie, 1500s–1600s nobylite, 1500s–1700s nobillity, 1500s– nobility; Scottish pre-1700 nobeletie, pre-1700 nobelietie, pre-1700 nobelite, pre-1700 nobielietie, pre-1700 nobiletie, pre-1700 nobilety, pre-1700 nobilietie, pre-1700 nobilite, pre-1700 nobilitee, pre-1700 nobilitie, pre-1700 nobilletie, pre-1700 nobillietie, pre-1700 nobillite, pre-1700 nobillitie, pre-1700 nobillitte, pre-1700 nobillity, pre-1700 nobillitye, pre-1700 nobilyte, pre-1700 nobylattie, pre-1700 nobyllattie, pre-1700 nobylyty, pre-1700 1700s– nobility. Origin: Either (i) a borrowing from French. Or (ii) a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French nobilité; Latin nōbilitās. Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Middle French nobilité valour, merit, renown (mid 11th cent. in Old French as nobilitet ), nobility of birth (mid 15th cent.), nobles, aristocracy (early 16th cent.; in Anglo-Norman also in sense ‘great deed’) or their etymon classical Latin nōbilitās renown, distinction, noble birth, nobles, aristocracy, loftiness of character < nōbilis noble adj. + -tās (see -ty suffix¹; compare -ity suffix). Compare Italian nobilità peerage, aristocracy (early 14th cent. in Dante; a1250 in sense ‘excellence, superiority’). Compare noblesse n., nobleye n., noblehead n., nobleness n., noblety n., noblé n.² I. The quality of nobleness. 1. The quality of being noble in respect of appearance; magnificence, stateliness; impressiveness of proportions or dimensions. rare before 19th cent. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [noun] > and nobility or magnificence douthOE nobilitya1387 splendour1604 heroicalness1647 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 75 Grete nobilite þat was þere in olde tyme is þere ȝit in meny places i-sene, as þe grete palys, geant his tour, noble bathes, releef of þe temples, [etc.]. 1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxv. 187 There was a nobility in this glacier scene. 1926 B. Rackham in W. Buckley European Glass p. x The wonderful skill of technique shown in the finest German wheel-engraved glasses may make up only in part for the loss of nobility involved. 1992 M. Robertson Shorter Hist. Greek Art (BNC) 59 A charge of provinciality might perhaps be justified, but the nobility of the design [of the metopes from the temple of Hera at Selinus] overrides the criticism. †2. The quality of having high status or value; renown or distinction arising from excellence. Chiefly with reference to things. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [noun] goodnessOE mund?c1250 daintethc1290 bountyc1300 daintyc1300 excellencec1384 virtuea1393 excellency?a1400 nobilitya1400 meritc1425 singularity?c1450 fineness1523 admirationa1533 rareness1545 rightness1561 rariety1566 rarity1566 excellentness1569 beautya1586 admirableness1607 primeness1611 gallantry1650 eximiety1656 optimity1656 altesse1660 unexceptionableness1669 excellingness1701 quality1803 sterlingness1815 stupendosity1828 goodliness1832 superbness1832 unexceptionability1837 sweetness and light1867 class1884 rortiness1885 rippingness1903 superstardom1928 motherfucker1977 awesomeness1998 society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [noun] freedomeOE earlshipOE noblesse?c1225 anourc1330 freelya1350 nobleheada1382 nobletya1387 nobléc1395 nobilitya1400 generosity?a1475 apparage?1504 quality1579 a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 10 (MED) Þat þat is medlid is more able to resceiue þe noble foorme of lijf, þe which nobilite aboue alle bodies I-medlid is founden in mannes spirit. a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 5651 A book..‘The Golden Verses’ Is clepid, for the nobilite Of the honourable ditee. a1425 Dialogue Reason & Adversity (Cambr.) (1968) 11 (MED) Þe nobilite of a cete stondeþ neþer in hiȝe toures nor in grete richesses but in famouse storye of þe induellande. a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 202 (MED) I thinke of my grete nobilite [v.rr. nobley, ryalte] that I have ben Inne, and of grete pouerte that I am Inne nowe. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Wisd. viii. 3 Who so hath y^e company of God, commendeth hir nobilyte. 1567 J. Maplet Greene Forest f. 25 In Nobilitie aboue Stones and Mettals are Plants. 1578 J. Banister Hist. Man iv. f. 58^v This tendon truly is of great nobilitie. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 138 And decoret the place quhair the feild was strukne w^t the nobilitie of the victorie. 1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies v. i. 331 That other part of the worlde,..much inferiour in nobilitie. 1678 R. Russel tr. Jabir ibn Haiyan Wks. Geber ii. i. iii. ix. 77 It [sc. silver] is a noble Body but wants of the nobility of Gold. 3. The quality, state, or condition of being noble in rank or title, or noble by birth. Also in extended use. ΚΠ c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. 2193 (MED) It fittyng is..þat euery man desyre Of wrongis don to han amendement..Namly to swiche þat with nobilite Kynd hath endewed, & set in hiȝe degre. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. iij^v Suche a one as was both in nobilitie of birth and in authoritie also right famous. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 96 Of this cumis thair pryd..and bosting of thair nobilitie. 1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy ii. iii. ii. 392 This is it belike which makes the Turkes at this day scorne nobility, and all those huffing bumbast titles. 1656 A. Cowley Pindaric Odes in Wks. (1710) I. 250 We draw a long Nobility From Hieroglyphick Proofs of Heraldry. 1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy 84 The Merchants that are grown Rich..buy their Nobility, and generally give over Trade. 1781 W. Cowper Truth 353 Royalty, nobility, and state Are such a dread preponderating weight. 1816 J. Scott Paris Revisited vii. 188 That quality which may be termed the nobility of animal nature; which is called blood, and game, in the inferior creatures. 1841 W. Spalding Italy & Ital. Islands III. 244 Nobles there are in abundance; but their nobility is valid only at court and in fashionable society. 1875 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. II. xv. 185 English nobility is merely the nobility of the hereditary counsellors of the crown. 1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 852/2 [Earl Amherst] succeeded to his title in 1797 by the remainder provided when the patent of nobility was renewed in 1788. 1992 Atlantic Jan. 6/3 Oxfordians stress the high nobility and aristocracy of Edward de Vere. 4. The quality of being noble in character; esp. the quality of having high moral principles or ideals; loftiness of character. Also in extended use. ΘΚΠ society > morality > virtue > morally elevated quality > [noun] > specifically in a person honourc1300 virtuousnessc1449 freelyheadc1450 magnitude?a1475 nobility1508 ingenuity1598 1508 Porteous Noblenes 172 Thar is xij wertuis behuffull and that schawis werray nobilite. 1595 W. Jones (title) Nenna's Nennio; or a treatise of nobility; wherein is discoursed what true nobilitie is, with such qualities as are required in a perfect gentleman. a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. i. 217 They say, base men being in loue, haue then a Nobility in their natures, more then is natiue to them. View more context for this quotation a1643 J. Shute Sarah & Hagar (1649) 142 To labour for Vertue, which is true Nobility. 1687 J. Dryden Hind & Panther iii. 141 They..nam'd their Pride, Nobility of Soul. a1711 T. Ken Christophil in Wks. (1721) I. 462 He glories only in God reconcil'd, 'Tis his Nobility to be God's Child. 1851 H. W. Longfellow Golden Legend vi. 278 All my divine nobility of nature By this one act is forfeited for ever. 1877 E. R. Conder Basis of Faith v. 203 It is man's nobility, not his defect, that the most lofty and commanding part of him is his moral nature. 1916 E. R. Burroughs Beasts of Tarzan xii. 184 That such nobility of character could lie beneath so repulsive an exterior never ceased to be a source of wonder and amazement to her. 1989 Spectator 15 Apr. 5/2 The nobility of the downtrodden is a dangerously romantic notion. 5. Chemistry. The property of an element of being noble or relatively unreactive. Cf. noble adj. 7b. Now rare.Cf. quot. 1678 at sense 2. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > [noun] > elements > properties nobility1907 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’ [Ger. Edelgrad] of the metals; silver is more noble than zinc, and zinc is less noble than hydrogen, etc. 1935 Science 5 July 4/2 The sequence of electrodeposition of metals is not necessarily in the order of their ‘classic nobility’. 1974 Sci. Amer. Aug. 48/2 The supposed ‘nobility’ of the elements that make up Group Zero in the periodic table was first compromised in 1962, when Neil Bartlett..synthesized xenon hexafluoroplatinate. II. A person who or thing which is noble. 6. In plural. Instances of nobleness of nature or character; high or excellent qualities or attributes. rare before 19th cent. ΘΚΠ society > morality > virtue > morally elevated quality > [noun] > specifically in a person > instances of nobilities1921 c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 4 (MED) His first trety schal teche what god is in hym silf as to his beyng, hise dignytees, perfecciouns, and nobilitees. 1841 R. W. Emerson Ess. 1st Ser. (Boston ed.) v. 150 By conversation with that which is in itself excellent, magnanimous, lowly and just, the lover comes to a warmer love of these nobilities. 1921 R. Hichens Spirit of Time iv. 71 He pointed to the nobilities, the self-sacrifice,..the marvellous examples of courage. 1975 R. Howard tr. E. M. Cioran Short Hist. Decay i. 76 The man who acquiesces in human affairs..consumes himself in a pitiable delectation, he commingles his nobilities and his vulgarities in the confusion of Becoming. 7. a. The group of people forming the noble class in a country or state; a noble class, an aristocracy. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [noun] > noble class gentle bloodc1300 gentricec1400 nobility?a1475 nobleness1490 noblessea1500 ?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1872) IV. 419 (MED) Galba Seruius..a senator of olde nobilite. a1513 J. Irland Meroure of Wyssdome (1926) I. 10 The gret nobilite of Troy as Pryame, Hector [etc.]. a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 86 A nother yl custume among the nobylyte ther ys, that every one of them wyl kepe a court lyke a prynce. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cc^v An especyall ornamente of the Frenche Nobilytye. 1584 A. Barlowe in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1589) 730 No people in the worlde cary more respect to their King, Nobilitie, and Gournours, then these doe. 1612 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 35 A great..Nobilite addeth maiesty to a Monarch, but diminisheth power. 1631 B. Jonson New Inne iii. i. sig. D8 But Cosse, haue care of vnderstanding horses, Horses with angry heeles, Nobility horses, Horses that know the world. 1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 1654 Lords, Ladies, Captains, Councellors, or Priests, Thir choice nobility and flower. View more context for this quotation 1735 Visct. Bolingbroke Diss. upon Parties (ed. 2) 192 The Saxons had a Nobility too, arising from personal Valour, or Wisdom. 1759 S. Johnson Idler 21 Apr. 121 A street where many of the Nobility reside. 1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci i. ii. 11 All our kin, the Cenci, will be there, And all the chief nobility of Rome. 1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits x. 165 The introduction of these elements..draws the nobility into the competition. 1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters xvi. 405 The Venetians were a nobility of merchants. 1905 Baroness Orczy Scarlet Pimpernel iii. 25 Them rascals over in France, who would murder their king and all their nobility. 1921 Observer 3 Apr. 10/5 In one or two generations the nobility in England will be forced to go to work. 1990 M. Vale Angevin Legacy (BNC) 35 A common chivalric culture..bound the courts of England and France together, adding a further dimension to the complex web of relationships between the two nobilities. b. Without article: members of a noble class; nobles collectively. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [noun] > noble person or man > collectively nobleyea1393 gentlec1400 lordly1508 nobility1581 generous1610 high-born1686 hochgeboren1905 1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxxvii. 146 If nobilitie & gentlemen would fall to diligence. 1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 ii. v. 393 Stand aside Nobilitie . View more context for this quotation 1671 F. Philipps Regale Necessarium 199 Admitted into an Inns of Court, heretofore only destinate and appropriate to the sons of Nobility. 1765 J. Dickinson Late Regulations Brit. Colonies i In England the profits of land are so great as to support a very large number of nobility and gentry in splendour. 1791 T. Paine Rights of Man i. 104 This is the general character of aristocracy, or what are called Nobles or Nobility, or rather No-ability, in all countries. 1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad i. 20 They were to hob-nob with nobility and hold friendly converse with kings and princes. 1894 Dict. National Biogr. XXXIX. 186/2 This brought a great concourse of nobility and gentry to the church. 1989 S. G. Hall & J. Clutton-Brock 200 Years Brit. Farm Livestock i. 12 So began a long line of interest by royalty and nobility in horse breeding. †c. Chess. The pieces other than pawns. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > pieces > superior pieces nobility1656 nobleman1656 officer1805 major piece1945 1656 W. Howard in Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion (1704) III. xv. 497 I have often observ'd, that a desperate game at Chess has been recover'd after the loss of the Nobility, only by playing the pawns well. d. A member of a noble class, a peer. Frequently in plural. Now rare. 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 1841 T. Carlyle On Heroes vi. 337 One leaves all these Nobilities standing in their niches of honour. 1889 ‘M. Twain’ Connecticut Yankee xliii. 551 All the nobilities, big and little, were on their way, and all the gentry. 1927 L. Mayer Just between us Girls vii. 43 Honestly those nobilities can make love divinely. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.a1387
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