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gentile

Etymology and origin of the English word gentile

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈd͡ʒɛntaɪl/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English gentil,[2] borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin gentīlis (“foreign, pagan”),[2][3][4][5][6] from Latin gentīlis (“of the same family or clan”),[2][3][4][6] from gēns “race, clan”.[2][3][4][5][6] In the Vulgate the Latin plural gentīlēs translated Greek tà éthnē “the nations”, itself a translation of Hebrew ha-gōyīm “the (non-Jewish) nations”.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who is not a Christian, a pagan (before 1382);[3][4] one who is not a Jew (about 1384–1400).[3][4]

Semantic evolution

Through the biblical translation the word came to mean a person of a non-Jewish nation or faith, especially a Christian as distinguished from a Jew.[5][6][7] The sense “heathen, pagan” is now obsolete or rare.[7][5] Among Mormons, a Gentile is anyone outside the Mormon community (1861).[7][2][5] From classical Latin come the senses “of a nation or tribe” (1513) and, in grammar, “indicating nationality or locality” (1818).[7]

Timeline

  • before 1382 – a pagan.[3][4]
  • c. 1384 – one who is not a Jew.[3][4]
  • 1513 – adjective, of a nation or tribe.[7]
  • 1818 – in grammar, expressing nationality.[7]
  • 1861 – a non-Mormon.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (often capitalized) A person who is not Jewish, especially a Christian as distinguished from a Jew.
  2. (often capitalized) Among Mormons, a person who is not a Mormon.
  3. (archaic) A heathen or pagan.

Adjective

  1. Of or relating to Gentiles.
  2. Of or relating to a gens, tribe or people.
  3. (grammar) Expressing national or local origin.
  • genteel
  • gentle
  • gens
  • goy

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Gentile.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/gentile. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·