gente

== Chavacano == === Etymology === Inherited from Spanish gente. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈxente/, [ˈxẽn̪.t̪e] Hyphenation: gen‧te === Noun === gente person; people == French == === Adjective === gente feminine singular of gent == Interlingua == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈɡen.te/ === Noun === gente (plural gentes) people ==== Synonyms ==== populo ==== See also ==== persona == Italian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛn.te/ Rhymes: -ɛnte Hyphenation: gèn‧te === Etymology 1 === Borrowed from Old Occitan gent, from Latin [​homō​] gentis (“[man] of noble family”). ==== Alternative forms ==== giente ==== Adjective ==== gente m or f by sense (plural genti) (archaic, poetic) noble Synonym: nobile (by extension) elegant, refined, gentle Synonyms: fine, gentile, leggiadro === Etymology 2 === Inherited from Latin gentem, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tim. Doublet of genesi via Ancient Greek, and compare etymology 1. ==== Noun ==== gente f (plural genti) (historical, Ancient Rome) gens (legally defined unit of Roman society) lineage Synonyms: discendenza, (literary) genia, lignaggio, progenie, razza, (literary) schiatta, stirpe population Synonym: popolazione people (a person's ancestors, relatives or family) (collective) people, guys, folks (body of human beings) people (mass of a community) ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== gentile === Further reading === gente1 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana gente2 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana == Latin == === Noun === gente f ablative singular of gēns == Portuguese == === Alternative forms === gnt (text messaging, Brazil) genti, gênti (pronunciation spelling, Brazil) gẽte (obsolete, abbreviation) === Etymology === From Old Galician-Portuguese gente, from Latin gentem, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tim. === Pronunciation === (Northeast Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈʒẽ.ti/ Rhymes: -ẽtɨ, -ẽt͡ʃi Hyphenation: gen‧te === Noun === gente f (plural gentes) people a group of two or more persons Synonyms: povo, pessoas persons forming a distinct identity Synonym: povo guys, folks (informal address to a group of people) Synonyms: galera, rapaziada, malta (historical, Ancient Rome) gens (in Ancient Rome, a group of people descending from a common ancestor) Synonym: gens === Pronoun === gente (colloquial) we ==== Usage notes ==== Used in informal speech, with the feminine singular definite article (a), as a substitute for the first-person plural pronoun (nós). The verb is then conjugated in the singular third-person (ele, ela). See: a gente. ==== Quotations ==== For quotations using this term, see Citations:gente. ==== Derived terms ==== a gente gente boa gente fina gentinha (diminutive) ==== Related terms ==== gentil === Interjection === gente! (Brazil) expression of surprise or dismay Synonym: nossa === Further reading === “gente”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “gente”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Spanish == === Etymology === Latinizing modification of Old Spanish yente, inherited from Latin gentem. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈxente/ [ˈxẽn̪.t̪e] Rhymes: -ente Syllabification: gen‧te === Noun === gente f (plural gentes) people ==== Usage notes ==== Gente corresponds most closely with the English meaning of the word people as "a group of two or more persons". In Spanish, this word is a collective noun and does not typically have a plural. The plural is used in several common idiomatic phrases, however, or, rarely, in literature (e.g. don de gentes). Note that the other common meaning of people in English, in which the plural peoples can be formed, "a group of persons forming or belonging to a particular nation, country, etc." does not correspond with gente, and pueblo should be used to convey that meaning (which may be singular or plural). ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === References === Coromines, Joan; Pascual, José Antonio (1984), “gente”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critical Castilian and Hispanic etymological dictionary]‎[16] (in Spanish), volume III (G–Ma), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 144 === Further reading === “gente”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025