Etymologically
Log in

gentle

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 13:11. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

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

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