gentle

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈd͡ʒɛn.tl̩/; /ˈd͡ʒɛn.tl̩/ (UK)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English gentil, borrowed from Old French gentil (“high-born, noble”),^[2][3][4] from Latin gentilis (“of the same family or clan”), from gens (“race, clan”) (genitive gentis), from the root of gignere, to beget,^[2][3][5] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *gene- (“to give birth, beget”).^[3] Genteel is the same word borrowed again from French, and gentile an alternative form.^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Well-born, of noble family: before 1225 in the OED, probably before 1200 in Barnhart, the early 13th century in Etymonline.^[6][2][3]

Semantic evolution

The sense developed into having the manners of one of noble birth.^[3][7] Gracious, kind, is from about 1280,^[2] courteous from the late 13th century,^[3] and graceful or beautiful from about 1300.^[3] Tame or domesticated is from the 15th century,^[8] and mild, tender, not harsh, of animals, things and persons, from the 1550s.^[3] In Middle English gentle sometimes meant pagan.^[3] Of places haunted by fairies it is from 1823.^[3][6] The older sense survives in gentleman.^[3]

Timeline

• before 1225 – well-born.^[6]
• c. 1280 – kind, gracious.^[2]
• c. 1300 – graceful.^[3]
• 15th century – tame.^[8]
• 1550s – mild, not harsh.^[3]
• 1823 – haunted by fairies.^[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Kind, mild and tender in manner; not harsh or violent.
2. Moderate; not strong or intense: a gentle breeze.
3. Gradual; not steep: a gentle slope.
4. (archaic) Of good family; well-born.

Verb

1. To make calm or tame.

Word family

• gentleness
• gently
• gentlefolk
• gentleman
• gentleperson
• gentlewoman
• overgentle
• ungentle

Related words

• genteel
• gentile
• gentry
• genus
• gender

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press