noblesse oblige love

noblesse oblige

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Benevolent, honorable behavior considered to be the responsibility of persons of high birth or rank.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The honourable obligation that is the responsibility of those of high rank; in American English this often includes the expectation of benevolent actions such as helping those less fortunate.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the obligation of those of high rank to be honorable and generous (often used ironically)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, nobility is an obligation : noblesse, nobility + oblige, third person sing. present tense of obliger, to obligate.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French, noblesse ("nobility") oblige ("obliges")

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Examples

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  • Watch Mary Poppins, it pops up in the father's opening song.

    April 2, 2007