nōbĭlis — Lewis & Short
nōbĭlis, e (old collat. form gnōbĭlis: nobilem antiqui pro noto ponebant, et quidem per g litteram, ut Plautus in Pseudolo: peregrina facies videtur hominis atque ignobilis, et: oculis meis obviam ignobilis obicitur. Attius in Diomede: ergo me Argos referam, nam hic sum gnobilis. Livius in Virgo: ornamento incedunt gnobili ignobiles, Paul. ex adj.for gnobilis, from gnosco; Gr. gignw/skw; v. nosco,
Fest. p. 174 Müll.),I that can be known or is known, knowable, known.
I In gen. (very rare):
neque his umquam nobilis fui,Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 9:
addidit facinori fidem nobili gaudio,Tac. H. 3, 39.—
II In partic.
A Wellknown, famous, noted, celebrated, renowned (freq. and class.; cf.:
clarus, insignis, inclutus, illustris): die festo celebri nobilique, Aphrodisiis,Plaut. Poen. 3, 5, 13:
magnus et nobilis rhetor Isocrates,Cic. Inv. 2, 2, 7:
illustre et nobile municipium,Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 16, § 40:
oppidum clarum et nobile,id. ib. 2, 1, 24, §
63: ex doctrinā nobilis et clarus,id. Rab. Post. 9, 23:
gladiatorum par nobilissimum,id. Opt. Gen. 6, 17:
multi in philosophiā praeclari et nobiles,id. de Or. 1, 11, 46:
ut arcendis sceleribus exemplum nobile esset,Liv. 2, 5:
Corinthus aere,Ov. M. 6, 416:
puerosque Ledae, Hunc equis, illum superare pugnis Nobilem,Hor. C. 1, 12, 25:
palma nobilis,id. ib. 1, 1, 5:
nobilis e tectis fundere gaesa rotis,Prop. 4 (5), 10, 42.
tamquam Feceris ipse aliquid propter quod nobilis esses,Juv. 8, 41: aquae salubritate et medendis corporibus nobiles. Vell. 2, 25, 4:
vitulis marinis ad multa nobile fel,Plin. 11, 37, 75, § 195:
emplastra nobilia ad extrahendum fel,Cels. 5, 19:
Cicero vir nobilissimae novitatis,Vell. 2, 34, 3.—In a bad sense, notorious:
innocentes qui se scelere fieri nolunt nobiles,Plaut. Rud. 3, 2, 5:
mea (amica) est potens, procax, magnifica, sumtuosa, nobilis,Ter. Heaut. 2, 1, 15:
ille nobilis taurus, quem Phalaris habuisse dicitur,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 33, § 73; Liv. 39, 9, 5.—
B High-born, of noble birth, noble, i. e. sprung from a family (either patrician or plebeian) many members of which had filled curule offices, and consequently possessing the jus imaginum (opp. homo novus or ignobilis; cf.:
generosus, amplus): non facit nobilem atrium plenum fumosis imaginibus,Sen. Ep. 44, 5:
quanta sit in invidiā apud quosdam nobilis homines novorum hominum virtus et industria,Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 71, § 181:
Clodia mulier non solum nobilis sed etiam nota,id. Cael. 13, 31:
nobili genere nati,Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 70, § 180:
homines apud nos noti, inter suos nobiles,id. Fl. 22, 52; Liv. 22, 58.—Hence, subst.: nōbĭlis, is, m., a nobleman:
nobiles nostri,Plin. Ep. 5, 17, 5; Vulg. Isa. 5, 13; id. Psa. 149, 8: Nobilissimus, most noble, under the later emperors, a title of the Cæsars and of the members of the imperial family, Cod. Th. 10, 25, 1; Dig. 40, 11, 3.—
C Of a noble kind, noble, excellent, superior:
tres nobilissimi fundi,Cic. Rosc. Am. 35, 99:
nobiliumque greges custos servabat equarum,Ov. M. 2, 690:
nobilis hic (equus), quocumque venit de gramine,Juv. 8, 60.—Hence, adv.: nōbĭlĭter, famously, excellently, splendidly, nobly (mostly post-Aug.;
not in Cic. or Cæs.),Vitr. 7 praef.:
nobiliter caelare argentum,Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 91.—Comp.:
nobilius philosophari,Sid. Ep. 9, 9.—Sup.:
ab exercitu nobilissime tumulatus,Liv. Epit. 54.