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Nobiliary particle
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<p>A nobiliary particle is a type of onomastic particle used in a <a href="/facts/Surname/gca0qxem">surname</a> or family name in many <a href="/facts/Western_culture/rPbgAhzI">Western cultures</a> to signal the <a href="/facts/Nobility/WLPIA8GT">nobility</a> of a family. The <a href="/facts/Grammatical_particle/Da0LIXEc">particle</a> used varies depending on the country, language and period of time. In some languages, it is the same as a regular <a href="/facts/Preposition_and_postposition/Bhz0tAMI">prepositional particle</a> that was used in the <a href="/facts/Surname/gca0qxem">creation of many surnames</a>. In some countries, it became customary to distinguish the nobiliary particle from the regular one by a different spelling, although in other countries these conventions did not arise, occasionally resulting in ambiguity. The nobiliary particle can often be omitted in everyday speech or certain contexts. </p>