Ignoble
/ɪɡˈnoʊbəl/noun
Not honorable in character or quality; of low social rank.
Did you know?It comes from Latin *ignobilis*, which originally meant “unknown” or “of no notable birth,” so the insult started as a judgment about lineage before becoming a moral one.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵneh₃-
“to know”
Latin
Latin
gnoscere / noscere
“to come to know, recognize”
Latin
Latin
nōbilis
“well-known, famous, noble”
Latin
Latin
ignōbilis
“unknown, of low birth; not noble”
Old French
Old French
ignoble
“ignoble, base, of low rank”
Middle English
English
ignoble
“of low birth or rank; base, dishonorable”