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gentile - 6 dictionary results

gen⋅tile

  [jen-tahyl]
Use gentile in a Sentence
–adjective (sometimes initial capital letter)
1. of or pertaining to any people not Jewish.
2. Christian, as distinguished from Jewish.
3. Mormon Church. not Mormon.
4. heathen or pagan.
5. (of a linguistic expression) expressing nationality or local origins.
6. of or pertaining to a tribe, clan, people, nation, etc.
–noun
7. a person who is not Jewish, esp. a Christian.
8. (among Mormons) a person who is not a Mormon.
9. a heathen or pagan.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L gentīlis, equiv. to gent-, s. of gēns gens + -īlis -ile
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To gentile
gen·tile   (jěn'tīl')   
n.   often Gentile
  1. A person who is not Jewish.
  2. Archaic A pagan or heathen.
  3. Mormon Church A non-Mormon.
adj.  
  1. often Gentile Of or relating to a Gentile.
  2. Of or relating to a gens, tribe, or people.
  3. Grammar Expressing national or local origins.

[Middle English gentil, from Late Latin gentīlis, pagan, from Latin, of the same clan; see gentle.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Gentile

Gen"tile\, n. [L. gentilis belonging to the same clan, stock, race, people, or nation; in opposition to Roman, a foreigner; in opposition to Jew or Christian, a heathen: cf. F. gentil. See Gentle, a.] One of a non-Jewish nation; one neither a Jew nor a Christian; a worshiper of false gods; a heathen.

Note: The Hebrews included in the term g[=o]yim, or nations, all the tribes of men who had not received the true faith, and were not circumcised. The Christians translated g[=o]yim by the L. gentes, and imitated the Jews in giving the name gentiles to all nations who were neither Jews nor Christians. In civil affairs, the denomination was given to all nations who were not Romans.

Syn: Pagan; heathen. See Pagan.

Gentile

Gen"tile\, a. 1. Belonging to the nations at large, as distinguished from the Jews; ethnic; of pagan or heathen people.

2. (Gram.) Denoting a race or country; as, a gentile noun or adjective.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : gentile
Spanish: gentil, no judío,
German: der Heide,
Japanese: 異教徒
More Translations »

Gentile

Someone who is not a Jew. “The nations” is the common expression in the Old Testament for non-Jews as a group, and a Gentile is a person belonging to “the nations.”

Note: Both the Old Testament and the New Testament tell of numerous conflicts between Jews and Gentiles. Figuratively, a “gentile” is any nonbeliever.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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gentile 
1160, from L.L. gentilis "foreign, heathen, pagan," from L. gentilis "person belonging to the same family, fellow countryman," from gentilis (adj.) "of the same family or clan," from gens (gen. gentis) "race, clan" (see gentle). Used in Vulgate to translate Gk. ethnikos, from ta ethne "the nations," which translated Heb. ha goyim "the (non-Jewish) nations." Used during 14c. to mean both "one who is not a Christian" and "one who is not a Jew."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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