A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: <1375, 1375-1634, 1685-1700+
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Nobil(l, Noble, n. Also: nobyll, nobel, noibill, nowbill, -el. [ME. (Rolle) and e.m.E. nobil, -le, f. Nobil(l,a.]Also plur. without inflexion.
1. A person of noble rank, a member of the nobility.In plur. freq. = the nobles of the land, collectively; the nobility.plur. (1) 1375 Barb. ii. 182.
Thar nobleis gret affer ? 1386 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 8 (iii).
Nobillis ? 1386 Ib.
Noblis 1456 Hay I. 31/20; etc.
The princis and prelatis of Fraunce and the nobleis and rialis c1515 Asloan MS I. 258/7.
Noblis a1499 Contemplacioun of Synnaris 201 (Harl.).
Nobillis, princis and officiaris of iusticiarye 1490 Irland Mir. I. 7/7.
Nobilis c1490 Porteous Noblenes 173/22. c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxi. 23.
Cairlis of nobillis hes the cure c1500-c1512 Id. lx. 64.
And nobillis of bluid he dois dispys 1513 Doug. iii. ii. 69.
Nobillis [L. o proceres], quod he, harkis quhat I sal say 1513 Ib. i. xi. 84. 1528 Lynd. Dreme 822.
Nobyllis 1533 Boece vi. iv. 192.
Quhen he knewe ony debate amang the nobillis 1537 Lynd. Depl. Magd. 65.
With his most hardie noblis of Scotland 1547–8 Corr. M. Lorraine 218.
To caus my lord governor and nobiles drawe togydder a1570-86 Maitland Maitland Folio MS xciv. 91. a1568 Scott xvi. 43. 1562-3 Winȝet I. 68/8.
Our nobilis [v.r. nowbillis] 1596 Dalr. I. 14/18. 1596 Ib. 96/15.
Thair ar knichtes, barrounis and mony vthiris nobilis quhome we cal milordis 1685 Beale Fife Schools 194.
Be my Lord Drumond and the rest of the nobles who are schollers(2) 1634 Maxwell Mem. II. 252.
Quhen nobill cummis heir to vissit the samesing. c1490 Porteous Noblenes 178/8.
The next werteu in a noble is luf a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 1200.
Ane gret noble quhilk Joseph hecht to name 1533 Boece ix. iii. 291 b.
Ane nobill of Britan a1538 Abell 39 b.
He wes a noble of blude & a worthy chiftane 1537 Lynd. Depl. Magd. 97.
Ilk nobill set his hole intent To be excellent in habilȝement c1550 Id. Meldrum 594. 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 10217.
Maist lipper lazarous That euer come within ane nobillis hous a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1084.
b. One of the superior pieces in chess. — a1500 Bk. Chess 48.
The manere of nobillis king & qwene, Alphinis knychtis and rokis
2. A person of great distinction or renown. b. The nine noblis, the nine worthies.These uses are appar. chiefly or only Sc. a1500 Golagros and Gawane 410.
Thare anerdis to our nobill … Tuelf crovnit kingis a1500 Ib. 1017.
Thair with the nobill in neid nyghit hym ner a1500 Ib. 1116.
Thei nobillis 1549 Complaynte of Scotland 3/22, 23.
Ȝour grace deseruis nocht to be callit ane nobil alanerly throcht ȝour verteous verkis bot … ȝe suld be callit ane nobil of genolligie 1549 Ib. 43/16.
The maist anciant nobilis that hes bene in ald tymis 1549 Ib. 4/8.b. ?a1400 Nine Nobles Title.]
[De nouem nobilibus 1490 Irland Mir. I. 11/29.
All the nyne noble in armes c1500 Fyve Bestes 290.
Alexander … The quhilk of the nyne nobillis was one 1535 Stewart 41740.
Amang the nobillis nyne c1550 Rolland Court of Venus ii. 201.
Thir nobillis nyne
3. a. A name given to various gold coins of England and Scotland and certain other countries.AF. (1344), ME. (Piers Plowm., Trevisa) and e.m.E.The English noble (see also Angel n. 3, Hary nobil(l n., Henry attrib. n. and Rose n., and also Inglis a. A 1 (7), for various issues), first minted by Edward III of England, was imitated by David II, and again by James VI (in the latter case as the lion and the thrissill nobles, qq.v. s.vv. Lio(u)n n. 2 c (1) and Thrissill n.).See also Ferding n.1 2 for further examples.b. In the later examples ? applied to the Scottish silver half-mark-pece (see Mark-pece n.), from its having the same nominal value (6s. 8d. Scots) as the English noble (6s. 8d. sterling). 1359 Exchequer Rolls I. 617.]
[Pro quinque nobiles auri 1424 Acts II. 6/2.
ij of thar lionis for a nobill Inglis 1429 Sc. Hist. Rev. XXXI. 143. [1434 Exchequer Rolls IV. 578.] c1450-2 Howlat 788.
Nobillis of nut schellis, and siluer of sand 1455 Ayr B. Ct. 9 Dec.
For the dichting of the calsa vii nobill 1456 Hay I. 262/20.
That his fader aucht him a thousand nobleis or other grete soume of gold 1468 Acts II. 92/1.
The Inglis noble of the ros and the aulde Edward xxviij s., the noble of the Hary xxiiij s. 1491 Acts Lords of Council I. 210/1.
Tuiching the five noblis worth of land of Culmor 1557 Armstrong Hist. Liddesdale I. App. c.
To pay … saix skoyr nowbillis 1562 Ib. App. ciii.
Angell nowbeles 1562/3 Ib. App. civ.
Angell nowbills 1598 Acts IV. 175/2.
The Ghentis nobill … vij li. xiij s. iiij d. 1604 Stirling B. Rec. I. 108.
Aucht haill Utrik nobles 1618 Annandale Corr. 278.
For the greatest fine … is a noble a1721 Wodrow Hist. (1829) III. 122.
Three [horses] worth eleven nobles apiece
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"Nobil n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/nobill_n>
