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gentleman - 3 dictionary results

gen⋅tle⋅man

  [jen-tl-muhn]
Use gentleman in a Sentence
–noun, plural -men.
1. a man of good family, breeding, or social position.
2. (used as a polite term) a man: Do you know that gentleman over there?
3. gentlemen, (used as a form of address): Gentlemen, please come this way.
4. a civilized, educated, sensitive, or well-mannered man: He behaved like a true gentleman.
5. a male personal servant, esp. of a man of social position; valet.
6. a male attendant upon a king, queen, or other royal person, who is himself of high birth or rank.
7. a man of good social standing, as a noble or an armigerous commoner.
8. a man with an independent income who does not work for a living.
9. a male member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives: The chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.
10. History/Historical. a man who is above the rank of yeoman.
Origin:
1225–75; ME; see gentle, man 1

Related forms:
gen⋅tle⋅man⋅like, adjective

Synonyms:
4. See man.

Usage note:
See lady.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To gentleman
gen·tle·man   (jěn'tl-mən)   
n.  
  1. A man of gentle or noble birth or superior social position: "He's too much a gentleman to be a scholar" (Aphra Behn).
  2. A well-mannered and considerate man with high standards of proper behavior. See Usage Note at lady.
  3. A man of independent means who does not need to have a wage-paying job.
  4. A man: Do you know this gentleman?
  5. gentlemen (-mən) Used as a form of address for a group of men.
  6. A manservant; a valet.
gen'tle·man·ly adj.
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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Gentleman

Gen"tle*man\, n.; pl. Gentlemen. [OE. gentilman nobleman; gentil noble + man man; cf. F. gentilhomme.]

1. A man well born; one of good family; one above the condition of a yeoman.

2. One of gentle or refined manners; a well-bred man.

3. (Her.) One who bears arms, but has no title.

4. The servant of a man of rank.

The count's gentleman, one Cesario. --Shak.

5. A man, irrespective of condition; -- used esp. in the plural (= citizens; people), in addressing men in popular assemblies, etc.

Note: In Great Britain, the term gentleman is applied in a limited sense to those having coats of arms, but who are without a title, and, in this sense, gentlemen hold a middle rank between the nobility and yeomanry. In a more extended sense, it includes every man above the rank of yeoman, comprehending the nobility. In the United States, the term is applied to men of education and good breeding of every occupation.

Gentleman commoner, one of the highest class of commoners at the University of Oxford.

Gentleman usher, one who ushers visitors into the presence of a sovereign, etc.

Gentleman usher of the black rod, an usher belonging to the Order of the Garter, whose chief duty is to serve as official messenger of the House of Lords.

Gentlemen-at-arms, a band of forty gentlemen who attend the sovereign on state occasions; formerly called gentlemen pensioners. [Eng.]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : gentleman
Spanish: caballerocaballero,
German: der Herr,
Japanese: 男のかた
More Translations »
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