gentleman

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English gentilman, morphologically gentle +‎ man, partial calque of Old French gentilhome. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛn.təl.mən/ (General American) IPA(key): [ˈd͡ʒɛɾ̃.ɫ̩.mən] Hyphenation: gentle‧man Homophone: gentlemen === Noun === gentleman (plural gentlemen) Any well-bred, well-mannered, or charming man. (by extension; polite term of address) Any man. Synonym: sahib Coordinate terms: lady, gentlewoman, (historical) gentlelady (chiefly historical) A man of gentle but not noble birth, particularly a man of means (originally ownership of property) who does not work for a living but has no official status in a peerage; (UK law) an armigerous man ranking below a knight. (derogatory) An effeminate or oversophisticated man. Synonyms: cockney, puss-gentleman, sissy; see also Thesaurus:effeminate man (usually historical, sometimes derogatory) An amateur or dabbler in any field, particularly those of independent means. Synonym: dilettante (cricket) An amateur player, particularly one whose wealth permits him to forego payment. Coordinate terms: professional, (historical) player ==== Usage notes ==== Although gentleman is used in reference to a man and gentlemen is used as a polite form of address to a group of men, it is more common to directly address a single gentleman as sir. The singular possessive of the sense "any well-bred, well-mannered, or charming man" can appear in ad hoc compounds to describe a polite way of doing something; e.g. a "gentleman's sweep" when a dominant basketball team allowed the opponent one win in a series[1]. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== gentlewoman gentlelady ==== Descendants ==== Chinese Pidgin English: gentleman → Danish: gentleman → Esperanto: ĝentlemano → French: gentleman → Russian: джентльмен (džentlʹmen)→ Armenian: ջենտլմեն (ǰentlmen)→ Georgian: ჯენტლმენი (ǯenṭlmeni) → Mohegan-Pequot: gundermon → Ottoman Turkish: جنتلمن (centilmen)Turkish: centilmen → Polish: dżentelmen → Portuguese: gentleman → Spanish: gentleman → Yiddish: דזשענטעלמען (dzhentelmen) ==== Translations ==== == Chinese == === Etymology === From English gentleman. === Pronunciation === === Adjective === gentleman (Hong Kong Cantonese) gentlemanlike ==== See also ==== man == Chinese Pidgin English == === Alternative forms === 毡地文 (Chinese spelling) === Etymology === From English gentleman. === Noun === gentleman A respectful term for a person of either sex: gentleman, lady 希郎温毡[sic – meaning ⿰口毡]地文'託其*hi1 long4 wan1 zhin1[zhen1] di6 man4 tok3 ki4He long one gentleman talkee.He is talking with a gentleman. === References === Gow, W. S. P. (1924), Gow’s Guide to Shanghai, 1924: A Complete, Concise and Accurate Handbook of the City and District, Especially Compiled for the Use of Tourists and Commercial Visitors to the Far East, Shanghai, page 105: “Gentleman: does not always indicate the male sex. e.g. “outside have got two piece gentleman, one belong missee.” (Lunde.)” == French == === Etymology === Borrowed from English gentleman. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /dʒɛnt.lə.man/ === Noun === gentleman m (plural gentlemen or gentlemans) gentleman, especially an anglophone one === Further reading === “gentleman”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 === Anagrams === mélangent == Romanian == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English gentleman. === Noun === gentleman m (plural gentlemeni) gentleman ==== Declension ==== == Spanish == === Pronunciation === Rhymes: -entelman Rhymes: -entleman Syllabification: gen‧tle‧man === Noun === gentleman m (plural gentlémanes) British gentleman === Further reading === “gentleman”, 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 == Swedish == === Etymology === Borrowed from English gentleman. === Noun === gentleman c a gentleman (refined, well-mannered man) Synonym: (plural, humorous) hängslemän ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== gentlemannamässig ==== See also ==== herre === References === “gentleman”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish) “gentleman”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) “gentleman”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) == Yola == === Etymology === From Middle English gentilman. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛntlman/ === Noun === gentleman gentleman === References === Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 126