nobilis

Latin

Alternative forms

• gnōbilis (pre-classical)

Etymology

From nōscō (“know, recognize”) +‎ -bilis.

Cognate with Russian зна́тный (znátnyj) (< знать (znatʹ)).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈnoː.bɪ.lɪs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈnɔː.bi.lis]

Adjective

nōbilis (neuter nōbile, comparative nōbilior, superlative nōbilissimus); third-declension two-termination adjective

1. noble, high-born
2. distinct, able to be known, famous, celebrated

   Synonyms: conspicuus, distinctus, eximius, ēgregius, fāmōsus, sēcrētus, excellēns, praecipuus, insignis

3. (Old Latin) known, famous; acquainted, familiar

   Synonym: notus

   • c. 211 BCE, Plautus, Rudens 3.2.4–5:

     Vindicate, ne impiorum potior sit pollentia
     quam innocentum, qui se scelere fieri nolunt nobiles.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • c. 191 BCE, Plautus, Pseudolus 4.7.9–10:

     Cum his mihi nec locus
     nec sermo convenit neque is umquam nobilis fui

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

	singular			plural
	masc./fem.	neuter		masc./fem.	neuter
nominative	nōbilis	nōbile		nōbilēs	nōbilia
genitive	nōbilis			nōbilium
dative	nōbilī			nōbilibus
accusative	nōbilem	nōbile		nōbilīs nōbilēs	nōbilia
ablative	nōbilī			nōbilibus
vocative	nōbilis	nōbile		nōbilēs	nōbilia

Derived terms

• ignōbilis
• nōbilitās
• nōbiliter
• nōbilitō

Descendants

All borrowed

• Catalan: noble
• English: noble
• French: noble
• German: nobel
• Italian: nobile
• Portuguese: nobre
• Romanian: nobil
• Spanish: noble
• Swedish: nobel
• Dutch: nobel

References

• “nobilis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “nobilis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "nobilis", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “nobilis”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • of illustrious family: nobili, honesto, illustri loco or genere natus
    
  • the aristocracy (as a social class): nobiles; nobilitas; qui nobilitate generis excellunt
    
• nobilis in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016
• Charlton Thomas Lewis, Hugh Macmaster Kingery. An Elementary Latin Dictionary. American Book Company, 1918, p. 538[3]