noblesse oblige

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The Word of the Day for November 5 is: 

noblesse oblige    \noh-BLESS-uh-BLEEZH\   noun
     : the obligation of honorable, generous, and responsible behavior 
associated with high rank or birth

Example sentence:
     "In the Robinson family's circles, public service had long been common; it 
connoted not personal ambition so much as noblesse oblige." (Connie Bruck, _The 
New Yorker_, July 23, 1990)

Did you know?
     In French, "noblesse oblige" means literally "nobility obligates." French 
speakers transformed the phrase into a noun, which English speakers picked up 
in the 19th century. Then, as now, "noblesse oblige" referred to the unwritten 
obligation of people from a noble ancestry to act honorably and generously to 
others. Later, by extension, it also came to refer to the obligation of anyone 
who is in a better position than others -- due, for example, to high office or 
celebrity -- to act respectably and responsibly.





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