Dictionary > Ignoble

Ignoble

Ignoble
1. Of low birth or family; not noble; not illustrious; plebeian; common; humble. I was not ignoble of descent. (Shak) Her royal stock graft with ignoble plants. (Shak)
2. Not honorable, elevated, or generous; base. ‘T but a base, ignoble mind, That mounts no higher than a bird can soar. (Shak) Far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife. (Gray)
3. (Science: zoology) Not a true or noble falcon; said of certain hawks, as the goshawk.
Synonym: degenerate, degraded, mean, base, dishonorable, reproachful, disgraceful, shameful, scandalous, infamous.
Origin: L. Ignobilis; pref. In- not – nobilis noble: cf. F. Ignoble. See In- not, and noble.

Last updated on January 19th, 2021

You will also like...

Darwin's Finches - Natural Selection
Darwin and Natural Selection

This tutorial investigates the genetic diversity in more detail. It also delineates how certain alleles are favored over..

Freshwater aquatic plankton
Freshwater Communities & Plankton

Planktons are microscopic organisms that live suspended in aquatic habitats. There are two groups: the phytoplanktons an..

squirrel
Animal Water Regulation

Animals adapt to their environment in aspects of anatomy, physiology, and behavior. This tutorial will help you understa..

An artistic depiction of Dunkleosteus fish
Fish

The sea was teeming with life. Eventually, through reproduction and continued variation, fish came about. There are over..

Ploidy
Polyploidy

Humans are diploid creatures. This means that for every chromosome in the body, there is another one to match it. Howeve..

Homeostatic Mechanisms and Cellular Communication
Homeostatic Mechanisms and Cellular Communication

Homeostasis is the relatively stable conditions of the internal environment that result from compensatory regulatory res..