gentile Italian · revision 38042

+ Italian has two words spelled ''gentile'', both from Latin ''gentīlis'': the biblical noun for a non-Jew or pagan, and the everyday adjective “kind, courteous”, which DELI and GRADIT treat as separate headwords.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

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+ {{homograph|1|gentile, pagan}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=13th century (second quarter), Paduan homily|origins=la gēns}}

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /d͡ʒenˈti.le/^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Forms==

+ '''gentile''' ''m'' (plural gentili)^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Etymology==

+ The word for a non-Jew or pagan is [[bor|la-lat|gentīlis|t=heathen, pagan]], a word of Church Latin first found in Tertullian.^(DEI|1786)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) In the plural it rendered in the Gospels [[grc|ἐθνικός|tr=ethnikós|t=of the nations]], from [[m|grc|ἔθνος|tr=éthnos|t=people, nation]], in the narrow sense, proper to Hebrew, of “the (heathen) peoples”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) The Greek in turn copied the plural of [[hbo|גּוֹי|tr=gōy|t=nation]], used of the peoples other than Israel.^(Treccani 2011)^(Devoto 1968)^(Wiktionary) The Latin adjective itself comes from [[m|la|gēns|t=clan, people]];^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(GDLI|6, 678) Sabatini–Coletti and the GDLI trace the Christian sense to the plural of the noun in the sense “rural communities”, that is, pagans.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(GDLI|6, 678)

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+ DEI notes that the word reached Italian, Occitan and French in learned form, through the language of the Church.^(DEI|1786) Nocentini keeps this biblical sense quite apart from the development of the adjective “kind” and refers it to [[gente]].^(Nocentini 2010)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first records are a Paduan homily of the second quarter of the 13th century and Bono Giamboni's ''Vizi e Virtudi'', before 1292, where the word means a person who follows a religion other than the Jewish or Christian one, normally a pagan.^(TLIO)^(DELI 1999) Giamboni writes “Quella è la fede degli antichi, che si chiamavano gentili e appellasi idolatria” (that is the faith of the ancients, who were called gentiles, and it is called idolatry).^(GDLI|6, 678)

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+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Dante glosses the word in the ''Convivio'': “li gentili, cioè li pagani” (the gentiles, that is, the pagans).^(GDLI|6, 678) Old Italian also used it more narrowly for anyone outside the people of Israel.^(TLIO) Tommaseo distinguished the two: all pagans are gentiles, but not every gentile is a pagan, since Socrates, he says, believed in one God.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) Among Jews the word came to name a person of another religion, a Christian.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

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+ Today the noun is met almost only in reading the Bible, and DELI, quoting Costa, calls it essentially a relic;^(DELI 1999) ''genti'' is used instead in Church documents such as the decree ''Ad gentes''.^(DELI 1999)

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+ ==Timeline==

+ * 13th century (second quarter) – A Paduan homily has the first record.^(TLIO)

+ * Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses ''gentili'' for the pagans of antiquity.^(DELI 1999)^(TLIO)

+ * 1304–1308 – Dante's ''Convivio'' explains ''gentili'' as ''pagani''.^(GDLI|6, 678)

+ * 1861–1879 – Tommaseo–Bellini distinguishes gentiles from pagans.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(historical, chiefly plural)'' In the New Testament and early Christian writing, a person who was neither a Jew nor a Christian; a [[m|en|gentile]] or [[m|en|pagan]]: ''San Paolo fu detto l'apostolo dei gentili.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # Among Jews, a person of another religion.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

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+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''(literary)'' Pagan, non-Jewish.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Word family==

+ * [[gentilesimo]]

+ * [[gentilità]]

+ * [[gentilesco]]

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+ {{homograph|2|kind}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=late 12th century, Ritmo laurenziano|origins=la gēns}}

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /d͡ʒenˈti.le/^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Forms==

+ '''gentile''' ''m or f'' by sense (plural gentili, superlative gentilissimo)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The adjective “kind” is [[bor|la|gentīlis|t=of the same clan or family]], from [[m|la|gēns|t=clan, family, stock]] with the suffix [[m|la|-īlis]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto 1968) It is a learned word, a Latin loan for Nocentini and for the GDLI.^(Nocentini 2010)^(GDLI|6, 674) In Medieval Latin the sense moved from “belonging to a clan” to “of good family, noble”, the sense of the word in Old Italian, Old Spanish and [[fro|gentil]], the source of [[en|gentle]].^(DEI|1786)^(GDLI|6, 674) Nocentini compares [[generoso]], which went the same way from “of good birth” to a moral quality.^(Nocentini 2010) The same word is [[fr|gentil]] and [[es|gentil]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Körting 1907)

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+ [[gentiluomo|alt=Gentiluomo]], and after it [[gentildonna]], may be [[fr|gentilhomme]]: Machiavelli uses the phrase only of France, and Prati takes the compound from French.^(DELI 1999)^(Prati 1951|492)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is the sense “noble” in the ''Ritmo laurenziano'', a Tuscan poem of the late 12th century.^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010) Brunetto Latini praises a king “per gentil legnagio” (for his noble lineage).^(GDLI|6, 674)

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+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From nobility of birth the word passed to nobility of mind: DEI finds the moral sense “high-minded, generous, courteous” already in the second half of the 13th century, “delicate” from the 14th and “graceful, pleasing” from the 15th.^(DEI|1786) DELI dates “of graceful appearance” to Iacopone, before 1306, and “courteous in manner” to Francesco da Barberino, 1314.^(DELI 1999) Dante's line “Amor, ch'al cor gentil ratto s'apprende” (Love, which quickly takes hold of a noble heart) belongs to the high-minded sense.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011) In the ''Convivio'' he equates ''gentilezza'' with ''nobilitade''.^(DELI 1999)

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+ The old sense “noble by birth” survives only in ''gentiluomo'' and ''gentildonna''.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Today the everyday meaning is “kind, polite”, and the word is the usual courtesy formula in letters, ''Gentile signora'', with the superlative ''gentilissimo'', abbreviated ''gent.mo''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011) Farmers call a cultivated plant or its fruit ''gentile'' as opposed to wild, and craftsmen call wood or metal that is easy to work ''gentile''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

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+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 12th century – ''Gentile'' “noble” in the ''Ritmo laurenziano''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses ''gentilezza''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1292 – ''Gentiluomo'' in Bono Giamboni.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1306 – Iacopone uses ''gentile'' of a graceful appearance.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1304–1308 – Dante's ''Convivio'' equates ''gentilezza'' with nobility.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1314 – Francesco da Barberino uses the word of courteous manners.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1675 – Lorenzo Panciatichi uses it for “cultured, refined”.^(DELI 1999)

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+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|kind]], [[m|en|courteous]], polite in dealing with others: ''Sei stata gentile ad aspettarmi fuori dal cinema.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # Showing courtesy or consideration: ''Ci ha mandato un biglietto molto gentile.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # In courtesy formulas: ''troppo gentile!'' to thank someone, and ''Gentile signore'', ''Gentile signora'' at the head of a letter.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(literary)'' [[nobile|alt=Noble]]-minded, capable of high feelings: ''un cuore gentile''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # Fine, [[grazioso|alt=graceful]], delicate in appearance: ''Ha un viso gentile e occhi chiari.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # Delicate, pleasant in taste or smell: ''un vino dal profumo gentile''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(archaic)'' Noble by birth.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(agriculture)'' Of a plant or its fruit, cultivated, not wild.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # Of wood, metal or soil, easy to work.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(Tuscany)'' Of a person, slight, of delicate build.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

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+ ==Word family==

+ * [[gentilezza]]

+ * [[gentiluomo]]

+ * [[gentildonna]]

+ * [[gentilmente]]

+ * [[gentilizio]]

+ * [[ingentilire]]

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+ ==Related words==

+ * [[gente]]

+ * [[la|gentilis]]

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+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Il gentil sesso'', “the fair sex”, for women, is now dated or jocular.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) In literary use ''l'idioma gentile'' or ''il parlar gentile'' is the Italian language.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}