The meaning of GENTLEMAN is a man of noble or gentle birth. How to use gentleman in a sentence.
GENTLEMAN definition: a man of good family, breeding, or social position. See examples of gentleman used in a sentence.
Originally, gentleman was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the rank of gentleman comprised the younger sons of the younger sons of peers, and the younger sons of a baronet, a knight, and an esquire, in perpetual succession.
gentleman, in English history, a man entitled to bear arms but not included in the nobility. In its original and strict sense the term denoted a man of good family, deriving from the Latin word gentilis and invariably translated in English -Latin documents as generosus.
GENTLEMAN definition: 1. a polite way of talking to or referring to a man: 2. a man who is polite and behaves well…. Learn more.
- a man of good family, breeding, or social position. 2. (used as a polite term) a man: the gentleman in the tweed suit. 3. gentlemen, (used as a form of address): Gentlemen, please come this way. 4. a civilized, educated, sensitive, or well-mannered man. 5. a male personal servant; valet.
If you say that a man is a gentleman, you mean he is polite and educated, and can be trusted. He was always such a gentleman.
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.