different between kingly vs noble

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English kyngly, from Old English *cyningl?? (“kingly, royal”), equivalent to king +? -ly. Cognate with Dutch koninklijk (“kingly, royal”), German königlich (“kingly”), Swedish kunglig (“kingly”). Compare also Old English cynel?? (“kingly, royal, public”).

Adjective

kingly (comparative kinglier, superlative kingliest)

1. (not comparable) Of or belonging to a king or kings; exercised by a king.
   • c. 1597, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2, Act III, Scene 1, [1]

     O thou dull god, why liest thou with the vile / In loathsome beds, and leav'st the kingly couch / A watch-case or a common 'larum-bell?

   • 1701, Jonathan Swift, A Discourse of the Contests and Dissensions between the Nobles and the Commons in Athens and Rome, Chapter IV, in The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, edited by John Nichols, London: J. Johnson, 1801, Vol. 2, pp. 328-9 [2]

     But in Sparta, which was called a kingly government, though the people were perfectly free, yet because the administration was in the two kings and the ephori, with the assistance of the senate, we read of no impeachments by the people;

   • 1782, William Cowper, "Table Talk," [3]

     Leave kingly backs to cope with kingly cares; They have their weight to carry, subjects theirs;

2. Characteristic of kings, majestic, regal.
   • 1580s, Philip Sidney, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, London: Simon Waterson, 1613, Book 2, p. 159, [4]

     For then she sets foorth the liberty of his mind, the high flying of his thoughts, the fitnesse in him to beare rule, the singular loue the subiects bare him; that it was doubtful, whether his wit were greater in winning their fauours, or his courage in imploying their fauours: that he was not borne to liue a subiect-life, each action of his bearing in it Maiestie, such a kingly entertainement, such a kingly magnificence, such a kingly heart for enterprises: especially remembring those vertues, which in successor are no more honored by the subiects, then suspected of the Princes.

   • 1854, Gerald Massey, "The Kingliest Kings" in Poems and Ballads, New York: J.C. Derby, p. 92, [5]

     Tho' trouble-tried, and torture-torn, / The kingliest Kings are crown'd with thorn.

   • 1951, C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian, Collins, 1998, Chapter 7,

     Never had sleep been more refreshing nor food tasted more savory, and he began already to harden and his face wore a kinglier look.

Synonyms

• kinglike
• majestic
• regal
• royal

Antonyms

• unkinglike
• unkingly

Derived terms

• kinglihood
• kingliness

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English kyngly, from Old English *cyningl??e (“kingly, royally”), equivalent to king +? -ly. Compare Old English cynel??e (“kingly, royally, publicly”).

Adverb

kingly (comparative more kingly, superlative most kingly)

1. In a royal manner.

Synonyms

• kinglily

Translations

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French noble, from Latin n?bilis (“knowable, known, well-known, famous, celebrated, high-born, of noble birth, excellent”), from n?scere, gn?scere (“to know”).

Displaced native Middle English athel (“noble”) (from Old English æþele) and Middle English hathel, hathelle (“noble, nobleman”) (from the merger of Old English æþele (“nobleman”) and Old English hæleþ (“hero”)).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n??b?l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?no?b?l/
• Rhymes: -??b?l
• Hyphenation: no?ble

Noun

noble (plural nobles)

1. An aristocrat; one of aristocratic blood. [from 14th c.]

   Antonyms: commoner, plebeian

2. (historical) A medieval gold coin of England in the 14th and 15th centuries, usually valued at 6s 8d. [from 14th c.]
   • 1499, John Skelton, The Bowge of Courte:

     I lyked no thynge his playe, / For yf I had not quyckely fledde the touche, / He had plucte oute the nobles of my pouche.

   • 1644, John Milton, Aeropagitica:

     And who shall then stick closest to ye, and excite others? not he who takes up armes for cote and conduct, and his four nobles of Danegelt.

   • 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin 2012, page 93:

     There, before the high altar, as the choir's voices soared upwards to the blue, star-flecked ceiling, Henry knelt and made his offering of a ‘noble in gold’, 6s 8d.

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:nobleman

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

noble (comparative nobler or more noble, superlative noblest or most noble)

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

   Synonyms: great, honorable

   Antonyms: despicable, ignoble, mean, vile

2. Grand; stately; magnificent; splendid.

3. Of exalted rank; of or relating to the nobility; distinguished from the masses by birth, station, or title; highborn.

   Synonym: superior

   Antonyms: inferior, plebeian

4. (geometry, of a polyhedron) Both isohedral and isogonal.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• honorable

Further reading

• noble in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• noble in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• noble at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Bolen, Nobel

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin n?bilis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /?n?.bl?/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /?n?.ble/

Adjective

noble (masculine and feminine plural nobles)

1. noble

Derived terms

• gas noble
• noblement
• noblesa

Noun

noble m or f (plural nobles)

1. noble

Further reading

• “noble” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “noble” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “noble” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “noble” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French noble, borrowed from Latin n?bilis according to the TLFi dictionary.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n?bl/

Adjective

noble (plural nobles)

1. noble, aristocratic
2. (of material) non-synthetic, natural; fine
3. noble, worthy (thoughts, cause etc.)

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Danish: nobel
• ? German: nobel

Noun

noble m or f (plural nobles)

1. noble (person who is noble)

References

• “noble” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Further reading

• “noble” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?no?bl?/

Adjective

noble

1. inflection of nobel:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Middle English

Etymology

From Old French noble, from Latin n?bilis.

Adjective

noble

1. noble

Descendants

• English: noble

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin n?bilis.

Adjective

noble m or f (plural nobles)

1. noble

Old French

Etymology

From Latin n?bilis.

Adjective

noble m (oblique and nominative feminine singular noble)

1. noble; upper-class; well-bred

   Synonyms: avenant, cortois

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin n?bilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?noble/, [?no.??le]

Adjective

noble (plural nobles)

1. noble

Derived terms

Related terms

• nobleza

Swedish

Adjective

noble

1. absolute definite natural masculine form of nobel.

Anagrams

• Nobel, nobel