ig·no·ble  ( ĭg-n ōb əl)
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adj.1. Not noble in quality, character, or purpose; base or dishonorable. See Synonyms at base2. 2. Not of high social status; common.
[Middle English, of low birth, from Old French, from Latin ignōbilis : i-, in-, not; see IN-1 + nōbilis, gnōbilis, noble; see NOBLE.]
ig′no·bili·ty (-bĭlĭ-tē), ig·noble·ness n. ig·nobly adv. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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