The state of being of high rank or noble birth; patrician dignity; antiquity of family; distinction by rank, station, or title, whether inherited or conferred
Those who are noble; the collective body of nobles or titled persons in a state; the aristocratic and patrician class; the peerage; as, the English nobility
The quality or state of being noble; superiority of mind or of character; commanding excellence; eminence
A person's nobility is their noble character and behaviour. his nobility of character, and his devotion to his country
the quality of being exalted in character or ideals or conduct a privileged class holding hereditary titles the state of being of noble birth
The nobility of a society are all the people who have titles and belong to a high social class. They married into the nobility and entered the highest ranks of state administration = aristocracy
basically, the class of people qualified, usually by inherited status, to exercise lordship This was a very small part of the total population, and even within this class actual power was exercised by a minority: women were generally excluded from lordship (although a widow might rule a region for the rest of her life); in many areas, estates passed undivided to the eldest son, leaving other children relatively powerless (although still wealthy and privileged) Nobility also came to be regarded as a set of characteristics, such as courtesy, honor, and generosity (see also courtly virtues) See also social hierarchy
Seek great stature of character by holding to the virtues and duties of a knight, realizing that though the ideals cannot be reached, the quality of striving towards them ennobles the spirit, growing the character from dust towards the heavens Nobility also has the tendency to influence others, offering a compelling example of what can be done in the service of rightness