A Renaissance for Nobility

Society these days is sorely lacking in a certain quality--namely, “nobility.” Just what does it mean to be "noble"? Let's look at some definitions:

noble (n.) "man of rank," c. 1300, from noble (adj.). The same noun sense also is in Old French and Latin. Late 14c. as the name of an English coin first issued in reign of Edward III.

noble (adj.) c. 1200, "illustrious, distinguished; worthy of honor or respect," from Old French noble "of noble bearing or birth," from Latin nobilis "well-known, famous, renowned; excellent, superior, splendid; high-born, of superior birth," earlier *gnobilis, literally "knowable," from gnoscere "to come to know," from PIE root *gno- "to know" (see know). The prominent Roman families, which were "well known," provided most of the Republic's public officials. Meaning "distinguished by rank, title, or birth" is first recorded late 13c. Sense of "having lofty character, having high moral qualities" is from c. 1600

Source: Online Etymology Dictionary

 If we look at the earliest use of the word “noble” we find that around 1200 A.D. it was used to mean “illustrious, distinguished, worthy of honor or respect”. When we look at our leaders today, we might consider them “illustrious” due to being in the public eye. We may also consider them “distinguished” due to their many accomplishments. But “worthy of honor and respect” seems to be a tough one to swallow. The word “noble came to English from Old French which derived from the Latin “nobilis”, meaning “well-known, famous, renowned” and even further back from “gnobilis” from “gnoscere” derived from the Proto-Indo-European root “gno-“ meaning “to know” (the “g” being silent and also a phonemic pair with the letter “k”—thus, modern English’s “kno”). So originally to be “gnoble” or “noble” simply meant to be “known”. The ones who were “known” by everyone in the ancient Roman Republic were most often its public officials.

Later in the 13th century the additional meaning of “distinguished by rank, title, or birth” was first recorded. Thus, the word “noble” came to mean someone who was “well-known who was of high-rank, title, or birth.” These are the people who were looked up to and expected to rule, to create order, to protect and promote the common welfare or “commonweal” (commonwealth). Moreover, there is a connotation of “superior” but also of being “splendid.” In short, these were people one could look up to. Ideally, when they did promote the common good, they were “splendid” and admirable. However, when they began to use their position and power to secure wealth, land, and more simply for themselves, the “nobles” were looked on with disdain. Still, the past corruptions notwithstanding, the terms “noble” and “ennoble” have enjoyed a generally positive connotation within the modern day lexicon. These terms conjure up the idea of “doing the right thing”, being “educated”, and acting out of a “higher purpose” rather than out of narrow self-interest. I believe it is a re-birth, or renaissance, if you will, of this manner of nobility that our contemporary political arena would benefit by.