Nō'ble1, a.
a. [compar. NOBLER; superl. NOBLEST.] [Fr., Pr., & Sp. noble, Pg. nobre, It. nobile, from Lat. nobilis, that can be or is known, well known, famous, high-born, noble, from noscere, novi, to know.]
Sense 1. Possessing eminence, elevation, dignity, or the like; exalted; superior; above whatever is low, mean, degrading, or dishonorable; as, a noble mind; a noble heart; the noblest part of the body.
Statues, with winding ivy crowned, belong To nobler poets for a nobler song. Dryden.
To vice industrious, but to nobler deeds Timorous. Milton.
Sense 2. Grand; stately; magnificent; splendid; as, a noble edifice.
Sense 3. Specifically, of exalted rank; distinguished by birth, station, or title, from the masses; of aristocratic or patrician family; high-born; as, of noble blood; a noble personage.
Noble is sometimes used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, noble-born, noble-hearted, noble-minded, noble-spirited, and the like.
Noble metals, gold, silver, platinum, and other metals, which can be separated from oxygen by heat alone. Ure.
Synonyms—Honorable; worthy; dignified; elevated; exalted; sublime; great; eminent; illustrious; renowned; stately; splendid; magnificent; grand; magnanimous; generous; liberal; free.