noble

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Possessing hereditary rank in a political system or social class derived from a feudalistic stage of a country's development.
2. adj. Having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor: a noble spirit.
3. adj. Proceeding from or indicative of such a character; showing magnanimity: "What poor an instrument/May do a noble deed!” ( Shakespeare).
4. adj. Grand and stately in appearance; majestic: "a mighty Spanish chestnut, bare now of leaves, but in summer a noble tree” ( Richard Jeffries).
5. adj. Chemistry Inactive or inert.
6. n. A member of the nobility.
7. n. A gold coin formerly used in England, worth half of a mark.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Possessing or characterized by hereditary social or political preëminence, or belonging to the class which possesses such preëminence or dignity; distinguished by birth, rank, or title; of ancient and honorable lineage; illustrious: as, a noble personage; noble birth.
2. High in excellence or worth.
3. Great or lofty in character, or in the nature of one's achievements; magnanimous; above everything that is mean or dishonorable: applied to persons or the mind.
4. Proceeding from or characteristic or indicative of greatness of mind: as, noble courage; noble sentiments; noble thoughts.
5. Of the best kind; choice; excellent.
6. In mineralogy, excellent; pure in the highest decree: as, noble opal; noble hornblende; noble tourmalin.
7. Precious; valuable: applied to those metals which are not altered on exposure to the air, or which do not easily rust, and which are much scarcer and more valuable than the so-called useful metals. Though the epithet is applied chiefly to gold and silver, and sometimes to quicksilver, it might also with propriety be made use of in reference to platinum and the group of metals associated with it, since these are scarce and valuable, and are little acted on by ordinary reagents.
8. In falconry, noting long-winged falcons which swoop down upon the quarry.
9. Of magnificent proportions or appearance; magnificent; stately; splendid: as, a noble edifice.
10. n. A person of acknowledged social or political preëminence; a person of rank above a commoner; a nobleman; specifically, in Great Britain and Ireland, a peer; a duke, marquis, earl, viscount, or baron. See nobility and peerage.
11. n. An old English gold coin, current for 6s. 8d., first minted by Edward III., and afterward by Richard II., Henry IV., V., and VI., and also by Edward IV., under whom one variety of the noble was called the ryal or rose noble (see ryal). The obverse type of all these nobles was the king in a ship. The reverse inscription, “Jesus autern transiens per medium illorum ibat” (Luke iv. 30), was probably a charm against thieves. Ruding conjectures, though not with much probability, that the coins derived their name from the noble nature of the metal of which they were composed. The coin was much imitated in the Low Countries. See George-noble, quarter-noble.
12. n. The pogge, Agonus cataphractus.
13. n. plural In entomology, the Papilionidæ.
14. To ennoble.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Having honorable qualities; having moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean or dubious in conduct and character

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Possessing eminence, elevation, dignity, etc.; above whatever is low, mean, degrading, or dishonorable; magnanimous.
2. adj. Grand; stately; magnificent; splendid.
3. adj. Of exalted rank; of or pertaining to the nobility; distinguished from the masses by birth, station, or title; highborn.
4. n. A person of rank above a commoner; a nobleman; a peer.
5. n. An English money of account, and, formerly, a gold coin, of the value of 6 s. 8 d. sterling, or about $1.61 (in 1913).
6. n. (Zoöl.) A European fish; the lyrie.
7. v. obsolete To make noble; to ennoble.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. of or belonging to or constituting the hereditary aristocracy especially as derived from feudal times
2. adj. inert especially toward oxygen
3. adj. having or showing or indicative of high or elevated character
4. n. a titled peer of the realm
5. adj. impressive in appearance