Is a French term that refers to honorable and benevolent behavior considered the responsibility of people of high noble birth?

noblesse o·blige

n.

Benevolent, honorable behavior considered to be the responsibility of persons of high birth or rank.

[French, nobility is an obligation : noblesse, nobility + oblige, third person sing. present tense of obliger, to obligate.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

noblesse oblige

n

often ironic the supposed obligation of nobility to be honourable and generous

[French, literally: nobility obliges]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

no•blesse o•blige

the moral obligation of the rich or highborn to display honorable and generous conduct.

[1830–40; < French: literally, nobility obliges]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

noblesse oblige

A French phrase meaning nobility obliges, used to mean the type of honorable behavior that is supposed to be incumbent on people of rank or privilege.

Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited