English
ignoble
Ignoble comes from Latin ignōbilis ‘baseborn, of low birth, base-born, ignoble’, from nōbilis ‘noble’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- ‘to recognise’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-‘to recognise’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥h₃sḱéti‘to recognise’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnōskō‘to know, get to know’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgnōscō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōscō‘know, recognize’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōbilis‘noble’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEignōbilis‘baseborn, of low birth, base-born, ignoble’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600ignoble
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1592same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-‘to recognise’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥h₃sḱéti‘to recognise’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnōskō‘to know, get to know’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgnōscō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōscō‘know, recognize’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōbilis‘noble’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEignōbilis‘baseborn, of low birth, base-born, ignoble’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600ignoble
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1592same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1591–1592, William Shakespeare, The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]: “I was not ignoble of descent.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- ‘to recognise’
can, could, know, normal, narrative, glory, recognition, con, ken, keen, ignore, norm, ignorant, cunning, narration, prognosis, canny, connoisseur, uncouth, canna, kith, recognizance, cun, gnosis, 84 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃sḱéti ‘to recognise’
diagnostic, gnome, agnostic, 40 more
through Latin gnōscō
recognize, cognitive, quaint, denote, incognito, annotation, precognition, 30 more
through Latin nōscō ‘know, recognize’
note, notice, notion, notorious, notation, cognition, notoriety, notary, acquaint, annotate, cognizance, 23 more
through Latin nōbilis ‘noble’
Today it means
adj Not noble; plebeian; common.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- / ignoble