ignoble
English edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Middle French ignoble, from Latin ignōbilis, from in- (“not”) + gnōbilis, later nōbilis (“noble”).
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
ignoble (comparative ignobler, superlative ignoblest)
- Not noble; plebeian; common.
- c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
- I was not ignoble of descent.
- Not honorable; base.
- 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
- A base, ignoble mind, / That mounts no higher than a bird can soar.
- 1750 June 12 (date written; published 1751), T[homas] Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”, in Designs by Mr. R[ichard] Bentley, for Six Poems by Mr. T. Gray, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], published 1753, →OCLC:
- far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife
- Not a true or "noble" falcon; said of certain hawks, such as the goshawk.
Quotations edit
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:ignoble.
Synonyms edit
- (common): common, plebeian, vulgar
- (not honorable): degenerate, mean, base, vile, low-minded, reproachful, shameful, disgraceful
Antonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
not noble; plebeian; common
|
not honorable
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Verb edit
ignoble (third-person singular simple present ignobles, present participle ignobling, simple past and past participle ignobled)
Anagrams edit
French edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Middle French ignoble, borrowed from Latin ignōbilis, from in- (“not”) + gnōbilis, later nōbilis (“noble”).
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
ignoble (plural ignobles)
Further reading edit
- “ignoble”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.