English edit

Etymology edit

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

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ɪˈnəʊbəl/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -əʊbəl

Verb edit

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.
  2. To perform on a fabric the industrial processes of dry-cleaning, printing and embossing, and sizing and finishing.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit