Anyone, patrician or plebeian, who could count a consul as his ancestor was a noble (nobilis); a man who was the first of his family to hold the consulship, such as Marius or Cicero, was known as a novus homo ("new man") and ennobled his descendants.
Çdokush, patric apo plebe, që mund të numëronte njërin nga paraardhësit e tij si konsull ishte një fisnik (nobilis); një burrë që ishte i pari në familjen e tij që bëhej konsull, si Marius ose Ciceroni, njiheshin me emrin novus homo (njeri i ri) dhe i fisnikëronte pasardhësit e tij.