noble的词源

英文词源

noble

noble: [13] Etymologically, to be noble is simply to be ‘well known’. The word reached English via Old French noble from Latin nōbilis. But this was only a later form of an original gnōbilis (preserved in the negative form ignoble [16]), which was derived from the base *gnō- ‘know’, source also of English notorious. It thus originally meant ‘knowable’, hence ‘known’, and only subsequently broadened out via ‘well known’ to ‘noble’ (which in ancient Rome denoted ‘belonging to a family of which many members had held high office in the state’).
=> cognition, ignoble, know, notorious, recognize

noble (adj.)

c. 1200, "illustrious, distinguished; worthy of honor or respect," from Old French noble "of noble bearing or birth," from Latin nobilis "well-known, famous, renowned; excellent, superior, splendid; high-born, of superior birth," earlier *gnobilis, literally "knowable," from gnoscere "to come to know," from PIE root *gno- "to know" (see know). The prominent Roman families, which were "well known," provided most of the Republic's public officials.

Meaning "distinguished by rank, title, or birth" is first recorded late 13c. Sense of "having lofty character, having high moral qualities" is from c. 1600. A noble gas (1902) is so called for its inactivity or intertness; a use of the word that had been applied in Middle English to precious stones, metals, etc., of similar quality (late 14c.), from the sense of "having admirable properties" (c. 1300).

noble (n.)

"man of rank," c. 1300, from noble (adj.). The same noun sense also is in Old French and Latin. Late 14c. as the name of an English coin first issued in reign of Edward III.

中文词源

noble（贵族）：从平民中通过仕途晋升的贵族

在古罗马，原本只有patrician（贵族）和plebeian（平民）。所有官职均有贵族担任，平民不能和贵族通婚，无能担任官职。后来，经过长期抗争，平民终于取得了和贵族通婚以及担任官职的权利。平民担任执政官、保民官等高官职位后，就被尊称为nobilis，意思是“著名的、杰出的、高尚的”。通过法语进入英语后演变成了noble（贵族）。noble和patrician都可以世袭，但patrician是封闭的，平民永远也不能变成patrician；而noble是开放性的，平民建功立业后都可以被封为noble。

noble：['nəʊb(ə)l]n.贵族adj.贵族的，高贵的，高尚的

nobleman：['nəʊb(ə)lmən] n.贵族

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：noble 词源，noble 含义。

noble：高贵的

来自拉丁语nobilis,出身高贵的，有名望的，来自PIE*gno,知道，词源同know,notice.也可能来自PIE*gen,生育，词源同genuine,gentleman.