gentleman 
in an audience : as, welcome, gvittli-nti-n ; Indies 
and gentlemen. This use of </'"" fur man, to the 
neglect of gradation, like that of ladii for >/-<n/inn, is often 
carried to excess, ami is to be avoided except where re- 
quired by the unquestioned rules of politeness. See lady. 
A <r? title nia n, a friend of mine, 
He came on purpose to visit me. 
Lord Jamie Douglas (Child's Ballads, IV. 138). 
A Finch . . . thus pert replied : 
Mi-thinks the i/entleuinn, quoth she, 
i pposite in the apple-tree, 
By his good will would keep us single. 
Cowper, Pairing Time Anticipated. 
5. The body-servant or personal attendant of 
a man of rank. 
OK. Who has done this, Sir Andrew? 
Sir And. The count's gentleman, one Cesario. 
Shak., T. N., v. 1. 
He caus'd his gentleman to give me directions, all writ- 
ten with his owne hand. Evelyn, Diary, March 23, 1646. 
6. An apparatus used in soldering circular pew- 
ter ware. It is a revolving pedestal, adjusta- 
ble by a side-screw to any height. 7. [Perhaps 
an adaptation of another name of the same 
bird, Jan van Gent.] The white gannet or solan 
goose, Sula bassana. Gentleman commoner. See 
commoner. Gentleman farmer, a man of property who 
resides on and cultivates or superintends the cultivation of 
his own farm. Gentleman Of a Companyt, in the Euro- 
pean armies of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a 
man of some rank serving without an officer's commission, 
but not as a private soldier. He "is something more than 
an ordinary soldier, hath a little more pay, and doth not 
stand sentinel; . . . they go common round and patrouilles 
and near an enemy they are to be the forlorn sentinel whom 
the French call perdus " (Sir J. Turner, Pallas Armata). 
Gentleman of the chapel royal, one of the lay singers 
of the royal chapel in England. It is their duty to assist 
the priests in the choral service. Gentleman Of the 
round*. () Same as gentleman of a company. 
"Captayne, lieutenant, aimcient, Serjeant of a com- 
pany, corporal!, gentleman in a company or of the rounde, 
launce-passado. These," says the author, "are special; 
the other that remain, private or common soldiers." 
The Castle or Picture of Policy, etc. (1581). 
(6) An invalid or disabled soldier who made his living by 
begging. 
He had so writhen himself into the habit of one of your 
poor infantry, your decayed, ruinous, worm-eaten gentle- 
men of the round; such as have vowed to sit on the skirts 
of the city, let your provost and his half-dozen of halber- 
diers do what they can, and have translated begging out 
of the old hackney-pace to a fine easy amble. 
B. Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, iii. 2. 
Gentleman pensioner. See gentleman-at-arms. Gen- 
tleman's gentleman, a valet: a phrase attributed to 
ladies'-maids in England. Gentleman usher, formerly, 
a gentleman employed as an usher at court or an atten- 
dant upon a person of rank. 
Though I was the most pert creature in the world, when 
I was foreman, and could hand a woman of the first qual- 
ity to her coach as well as her own gentleman-usher, I am 
now quite out of my way. Tatler, No. 66. 
Gentleman usher of the black rod. See black-rod. 
The old gentleman, the devil. [Colloq.] 
Better far had it been the old gentleman in full equi- 
page of horns, hoofs, and tail. Charlotte Bronte. 
gentleman-at-arms (jen'tl-man-at-armz'), n. 
In England, one of a band of forty gentlemen 
and their six officers, all entitled esquires, whose 
office it is to attend the sovereign to and from 
the ehapel royal, and on other occasions of 
solemnity. Formerly called gentleman pen- 
sioner. 
The first is styled the corps of " Gentlemen-at-arms," and 
consists of a captain, lieutenant, standard-bearer, paymas- 
ter, clerk of the cheque or adjutant, a harbinger, and forty 
gentlemen. The other is called the " Yeomen of the 
guard," or, in common parlance, "Beef -eaters." 
A. Fonblanqu* 1 ., Jr., How we are Governed, p. 101, note. 
gentlemanhood(jen'tl-man-hud), n. ^gentle- 
man + -hood.] The condition or character of 
a gentleman. 
In his family, gentle, generous, good-humoured, affec- 
tionate, self-denying ; in society, a delightful example of 
complete gentlemanhood. 
Thackeray, Roundabout Papers, xx. 
Millefleurs was no rustic bully, . . . but the quintes- 
sence of English gentlemanhood. 
Mrs. Olipkant, The Ladies Lindores, p. 36. 
gentlemanism (jen'tl-man-izm), n. [< gentle- 
man + -ism.] The state of being a gentleman ; 
the affectation of gentlemanliness. Imp. Diet. 
[Rare.] 
gentlemanize (jen'tl-man-iz), v. t. ; pret. and 
pp. gentlemanized, ppr. gentlemanizing. [< gen- 
tleman + -ize.] To bring or train into the con- 
dition of a gentleman: as, "to gentlemanize 
one's self," Bitlwer. [Bare.] 
gentlemanlike (jen'tl-man-lik), a. Same as 
gentlemanly. 
He thrusts me himself into the company of three or four 
gentlemanlike dogs under the duke's table. 
Shak., T. G. of V., iv. 4. 
His [Dante's] gait was grave and gentlemanlike. 
Lowell, Among my Books, 2d ser., p. 16. 
2491 
gentlemanliness (jen'tl-mau-li-nes), . The 
state or quality of being gentlemanly ; the bear- 
ing or behavior of a well-bred man. 
For keeping books he was incompetent, . . . and the 
only discipline he exercised was by the unobtrusive pres- 
sure of a (/etitlemanliiieKS which rendered insubordination 
to him impossible. Lowell, Fireside Travels, p. 65. 
gentlemanly (jen'tl-man-li), a. Like a gentle- 
man ; being or befitting a gentleman, or a man 
of good birth or good breeding, or both ; polite ; 
complaisant: as, a gentlemanly officer; gentle- 
manly manners. 
A gentleman procured the place for the better scholar 
and more gentlemanly person of the two. Swift. 
The most delicate thoughts, the finest code of morality, 
and the most gentlemanly sentiments in the universe. 
Dickens, Barnaby Rudge, xxiii. 
Our minister, as I remember him, was one of the clean- 
est, most gentlemanly, most well bred of men never ap- 
pearing without all the decorums of silk stockings, shin- 
ing knee and shoe buckles, well-brushed shoes, immacu- 
lately powdered wig, out of which shone his clear, calm, 
serious face, like the moon out of a fleecy cloud. 
//. B. Stowe, Oldtown, p. 3. 
= Syn. Manly. Manful, sic. See masculine. 
gentlemanship (jen'tl-man-ship), n. [< gentle- 
man + -ship.] The character or condition of a 
gentleman. 
His fine gentlemanship did him no good. Lord Halifax. 
gentleness (jen'tl-nes), n. [< ME. gentilnesse; 
< gentle + -ness.] It. The condition of being 
gentle or of good birth; gentility. 2. The 
state or quality of being gentle in manners or 
disposition; mildness of temper ; sweetness of 
disposition; kindness; tenderness. 
Swete children, haue al-wey your delyte 
In curtesye, and in verrey gentylnesse, 
And at youre myhte eschewe boystousnesse. 
Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 7. 
The scholemaster taught him learnyng withall ientle- 
nee. Ascham, The Scholemaster, p. 48. 
He [Artaxerxes] was a prince of much humanity, and 
noted for many examples of gentleness. 
Raleigh, Hist. World, III. vii. 7. 
The gentleness of all the gods go with thee ! 
Shak., T. N., ii. 1. 
3. Softness; freedom from roughness; mild- 
ness; delicacy: as, gentleness of touch. 4. 
Ease; gradualness; absence of abruptness or 
steepness: as, the gentleness of an elevation or 
a slope. 
Professor Favre remarks on the gentleness of the pitch 
over all the old Swiss glaciers. 
Amer. Jour. Sci., 3d ser., XXIX. 66. 
gentleryt, n. An obsolete form of gentry. 
We are fortaxed and ramyd, 
We are made hand tamyd, 
Withe these gentlery men. 
Totvnele.y Mysteries, p. 96. 
gentleshipt (jen'tl-ship), n. [< gentle + -ship.] 
The condition, qualities, or deportment of a 
gentleman. 
Some . . . haue more ientleshipe in their hat than in 
their hed. Ascham, The Scholemaster, p. 60. 
gentlesset, See gentilesse. 
gentlewoman (jen'tl-wum"an), n. ; pi. gentle- 
women (-wim"en). [< ME. gentilwoman, -worn- 
man; < gentle + woman, after gentleman, q. v.] 
1 . A woman of good family or of good breeding. 
If this had not been a gentlewoman, she should have 
been buried out of Christian burial. Shak., Hamlet, v. 1. 
I now carries my head higher than arrow [ary, i.e., any] 
private gentlewoman of Vales. 
Smollett, Humphrey Clinker, I. 126. 
2. A woman who attends upon a person of high 
rank. 
The late queen's gentlewoman ; a knight's daughter, 
To be her mistress' mistress! the queen's queen ! 
This candle burns not clear. Shak., Hen. VIII., iii. 2. 
There is not one among my gentlewomen 
Were fit to wear your slipper for a glove. 
Tennyson, Geraint. 
3. A lady: a term of civility applied to any 
woman of respectable appearance. [Archaic.] 
Better to clear prime forests . . . 
Than hammer at this reverend gentlewoman. 
Tennyson, Princess, iii. 
gentlewomanliness ,(jen'tl-wum"an-li-nes), n. 
The state or quality of being gentlewomanly ; 
disposition and deportment becoming a gentle- 
woman. [Bare.] 
She had a quantity of chestnut hair, a good figure, a 
dazzling complexion, and a certain languid grace which 
passed easily for gentlewomanlineftit. 
Bret Harte, Argonauts, p. 59. 
gentlewomanly (jen'tl-wum"an-li), a. Becom- 
ing a gentlewoman ; ladylike." [Bare.] 
gently (jen'tli), adv. [< gentle + -ly*.] 1. As 
one of good family or condition. 
A city clerk, but gently born and bred. 
Tennyson, Sea Dreams. 
gentry 
2. In a gentle manner; softly; with tender- 
ness ; without rudeness or harshness. 
May the earth 
Lie gently on their ashes ! 
Fletcher (and Matiingerl), False One, v. 4. 
Oh, gently on thy suppliant's head, 
Dread Goddess, lay thy chastening haml ! 
Gray, Hymn to Adversity, 
Gently, ah gently, Madam, touch 
The Wound which you your self have made. 
Cowley, The Mistress, Counsel. 
3. Gradually; without abruptness or steep- 
ness: as, a gently swelling hill. 
Here we enter'd into a narrow cleft between two Rocky 
Mountains, passing thro' which we arriv'd in four hours at 
Demass, gently descending all the way. 
Maundrell, Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 121. 
GentoO 1 (jen-to'), a. and . [Formerly also 
Gentu, Gentue, Gentio, Jentio; of E. Ind. origin; 
orig. applied by the Portuguese to the 'hea- 
then' of India, < Pg. gentio, gentile, heathen: 
see gentile.] I. a. Relating to the Hindus; 
Hindu : a word common in English use in the 
last century, but no longer employed. 
II. n. 1. A Hindu. 
The ceremony used by these Gentu's in their sicknesse 
is very strange ; they bring ye sick person . . . to y 
brinke of y River Ganges. 
Hedges, Diary, May 10, 1683. (Yule and Burnett.) 
2. A Hindu language. 
The original Language of this Countrey (or at least the 
earliest we know of) is the Bengala or Gentoo. 
James Rennell, Letter, 1767. (Yule and Burnell.) 
gentOO 2 (jen-to'), n. A kind of penguin, the 
Pygoscelis taniata. It is better known as the Papuan 
penguin, but is not found on the Papuan islands, being a 
native of the Falklands. See Pygoscelis. 
gentret, .A Middle English form of gentry. 
Chaucer. 
gentrice (jen'tris), n. [< ME. gentrise, gentries, 
gentrice, genterise, the fuller form of gentrie, 
mod. gentry, q. v.] 1. Gentility; good descent. 
[Scotch.] 
I am ane that kens full well that ye may wear good 
claithes, and have a saft hand, and yet that may come of 
idleness as weel as gentrice. Scott, Redgauntlet, letter xi. 
2t. Same as gentry, 2. 
This lesus of hus gentrise shal louste in Peers armes. 
Piers Plowman (C), xxi. 21. 
gentry (jen'tri), w. [< ME. gentry, gentrie, gen- 
tery, genterie (also gentlery), noble or high birth, 
the condition or behavior of a gentleman, an 
abbr. (perhaps regarded as the sing, of the sup- 
posed plur.) of gentrise, gentrice, gentries, gen- 
terise, of the same sense, < OF. genterise, var. 
of gentilise, gentillece, later gentilesse, rank, no- 
bility : see gentilesse. The same change of I to 
r occurs in fortalice, fortress.] If. Noble birth 
or lineage ; gentility. 
Often tyme the gentrie of the body benimeth the gen- 
terye of the soule. Chaucer, Parson's Tale. 
Where gentry, title, wisdom 
Cannot conclude, but by the yea and no 
Of general ignorance. Shak., Cor., iii. 1. 
I will forthwith his antique gentry read ; 
And, for I love him, will his herald be. 
Sir J. Dailies, Dancing. 
The gouernours neyther inheriting their offices, nor 
leauing eyther place or name of gentrie to their families. 
Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 440. 
2f. Family ; gens. 
We have raised Sejanus from obscure and almost un- 
known gentry. B. Jonson, Sejanus, v. 10. 
St. Gentle breeding or manners; courtesy; 
civility. 
If I did not see in her sweet face 
Gentry and nobleness, ne'er trust me more. 
B. Jonson, Case is Altered, ii. 3. 
4t. A gentle or noble quality or action ; a gen- 
tlemanly characteristic. 
What say we eke of hem that deliten hem in swearing, 
and hold it a genterie or manly dede to swere gret othes ? 
Chaucer, Parson's Tale. 
This Jason for his gentris was ioyfull till all, 
Wele louit with the lordes & the londe hole. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 131. 
5. The class of well-born and well-bred people ; 
people of good position ; in England, the class 
of people of means or leisure below the rank of 
the nobility, sometimes called the upper middle 
class. 
That we do incite 
The gentry to this business. 
Shak., Cymbeline, iii. 7. 
Families amongst the gentry, or what on the continent 
would be called the lower nobility, that remembered with 
love the solemn ritual and services of the Romish Church. 
De Quincey, Secret Societies, i. 
More than one of the points to be noted are common to 
the nobility and the higher gentry or knightly body. 
Stubbt, Const. Hist., 469. 
