adlig
noble
Belonging to the social class of the nobility; of noble origin.
EXAMPLE
Er entstammte einer alten, adligen Familie mit großem Landbesitz.
He came from an old noble family with large landholdings.
adlig
noble
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word family
The adjective 'adlig' (noble) is derived from the noun 'der Adel' (the nobility), which refers to the social class of the aristocracy. The ending '-ig' is a typical way to form adjectives from nouns.
EXAMPLE
In der Geschichte Europas spielte der Adel eine wichtige Rolle.
In the history of Europe, the nobility played an important role.
Typical collocations
'Adlig' (noble) usually describes nouns related to origin and family. Typical collocations are 'eine adlige Familie' (a noble family), 'adlige Herkunft' (noble origin), or 'ein adliger Titel' (a noble title).
EXAMPLE
Sie forscht über die Geschichte ihrer adligen Vorfahren.
She is researching the history of her noble ancestors.
Cultural context
The term refers to the historical European noble class. Although the nobility in Germany and Austria no longer has legal privileges today, the word is still used for families with this ancestry.
EXAMPLE
Das Schloss ist seit Jahrhunderten im Besitz einer adligen Familie.
The castle has been owned by a noble family for centuries.
Compare with
adlig vs edel
noble / fine
For a person from a respected background, edel and adlig can seem similar. Adlig directly indicates belonging to the nobility, while edel can also be a more general evaluative quality. When ancestry is explicitly at issue, adlig is the clearer choice; edel can also be used in this sense.
adlig
Sie stammt aus einer alten adligen Familie.
She comes from an old noble family.
edel
Die Familie gilt seit Jahrhunderten als edel.
The family has been regarded as noble for centuries.
In real life
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