English

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Etymology

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From Middle English ennoblen, from Old French ennoblir. Equivalent to en- +‎ noble.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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ennoble (third-person singular simple present ennobles, present participle ennobling, simple past and past participle ennobled)

  1. To bestow with nobility, honour or grace.
    Synonyms: elevate, invest, knight, lord
    • 2020, Francine Prose, “Has Trump learned anything from Covid-19? Absolutely not”, in The Grauniad[1]:
      We’d like to believe that suffering instructs and ennobles.
    • 2024 July 24, Christian Wolmar, “Rail Minister Hendy has a tough job... but the skills to succeed”, in RAIL, number 1014, page 44:
      There was no shortage of dropped jaws when news came through about the appointment of the recently ennobled Lord Peter Hendy as rail minister. This was certainly a left-field move, taking everyone (perhaps even himself) by surprise.
  2. To perform on a fabric the industrial processes of dry-cleaning, printing and embossing, and sizing and finishing.

Derived terms

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Translations

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