noblesse oblige

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 6, 2015 is: noblesse oblige • \noh-BLESS-uh-BLEEZH\  • noun : the obligation of honorable, generous, and responsible behavior associated with high rank or birth Examples: "And true to those sentiments of noblesse oblige, in 1957 the Seiberling family turned the property over to a nonprofit trust." - Steve Stephens, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, April 24, 2011 "When Alexis de Tocqueville visited our new nation in the 19th century, he observed that the average American possesses a curious spirit of initiative. When we see a problem or a need, rather than waiting onnoblesse obligefrom an aristocrat to rescue us, we do something about it ourselves." - David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), April 11, 2015 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 toward others. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.