gentlemann.
/ˈdʒɛntlmən/, U.S. /ˈdʒɛn(t)əlmən/ I. A man of high social status, and related uses.
1. † c. Appended to the name of a man to show that he has the rank of a gentleman. Cf. gent n.2 2. Obsolete.In later use sometimes difficult to distinguish from sense 3c.
a. A man of gentle birth or rank; esp. a man of the lowest rank of the aristocracy, who has a right to bear arms but who does not hold a title. Also more generally: a man belonging to a high social rank (without specification of the particular rank). Now chiefly historical.Attested earliest as a surname.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > aristocracy or upper class > gentry > [noun] > gentleman > by birth
gentleman1222
1222 in W. H. Hale Domesday St. Paul's (1858) 80 Adam gentilman.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 264 Swa doð monigentil mon þet is uncuðe þeode.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 6618 Gentil mon þat he vond in prison ek ydo..he boȝte hom out al so.
1450 J. Fastolf in Paston Lett. & Papers (2005) III. 112 The said..bille may be enseled wyth the seles of such gentlemen that have lyvelode there.
a1529 J. Skelton Poems against Garnesche in Poet Wks. (1843) I. 128 Thow thou be a jantyll man borne, Yet jentylnes in the ys thred bare worne.
1671 Lady M. Bertie Let. in Hist. MSS Comm.: 12th Rep. App. Pt. V: MSS Duke of Rutland (1889) 22 in Parl. Papers (C. 5889–II) XLIV. 393 There are no men of quality but the Duke of Monmouth, all the rest are gentlemen.
1725 E. Haywood tr. P. de Boisguillebert Mary Stuart iii. 220 He being a young Gentleman of good Birth, rich, ripe-witted, and learned.
1843 W. M. Thackeray Men's Wives in Fraser's Mag. Aug. 199/2 He lived with the best society of the place, consisting of several distinguished young noblemen and gentlemen.
1949 G. B. Shaw Sixteen Self Sketches ii. 7 A university education is beyond his father's income, leaving him by family tradition a gentleman without a gentleman's means or education.
2003 Isis 94 368/1 ‘Hanger’ was the early eighteenth-century name for a small sword often worn by gentlemen for personal defense.
b. A man of gentle birth attached to the household of the monarch or other person of high rank. Frequently with the household or part of the household specified in a phrase introduced by of.See also gentleman of the bedchamber, gentleman of the Chamber, gentleman of the Chapel Royal, gentleman of the horse, gentleman of the privy chamber at Phrases 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > retainer or follower > [noun] > courtier
hired-gomec1275
courtierc1290
court-manc1386
gentlemanc1400
curial1447
courtnoll1568
gentleman-at-large1583
courty1606
courtling1616
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > personal or domestic servant > attendant or personal servant > [noun] > lord-in-waiting
gentlemanc1400
gentleman of the privy chamber1549
privy chamberer1640
Gentleman of the Privy Chamber1681
lord of the bedchamber1717
lord in waiting1719
c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 32 (MED) Þe gentil-men of þe kynges householde and þe gentelmen of þe Erles householde of London after mete went in-fere forto playe.
1503 in N. H. Nicolas Privy Purse Expenses Elizabeth of York (1830) 96 To Richard Brampton gentilman of the pantry with the Quene.
1561 in E. F. Rimbault Old Cheque-bk. Chapel Royal (1872) 1 The Subdeanes and Gentlemen succeedinge since the third yeare of the raigne of Queen Elizabeth.
1694 P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 5th Bk. Wks. xxi. 96 The Gentlemen of her Houshold..told us, That the Queen their Mistress did all impossible things, and cur'd Men of incurable Diseases, and they, her Officers, us'd to do the rest.
1794 J. Whitaker Course Hannibal over Alps II. i. iv. 51 A Cellarer, such as the kings of Scotland used to have under the same title, and our kings still retain under that of gentleman of the cellar.
1896 London Gaz. 6 Aug. 4498 The Count Moltke, G.C.V.O., Captain Bull, C.V.O.,..the Gentlemen in Attendance on His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Denmark.
1998 Daily Tel. 8 Jan. 18/1 The post of Gentleman of the Pope is unpaid, and is an honour reserved for chosen Catholic nobility.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > title > title or form of address for persons of rank > [noun] > for gentleman
masterlOE
Danc1330
gentleman1416
denc1425
mastership1438
mister1523
maship1526
mast?1548
esquire1552
masterdom1575
squire1645
gentlemanship1653
Mus'1875
1416 in H. T. Riley Memorials London (1868) 638 [Thomas Bekeryng, of Bekeryng, in the County of Lincoln,] gentilman.
1531 in I. S. Leadam Select Cases Star Chamber (1911) II. 186 William Marchall gentleman than being Steward of the seid Manour.
1662 W. Dugdale Hist. Imbanking & Drayning Fens xlvii. 332/2 Thomas Dereham, Richard Everard, and Iohn Willoughby Esquires, Iames Hawes and Iohn Schuldham Gentlemen.
1800 New Baltimore Directory 14 Alderson George, gentleman, 181, Bond street, Fells Point.
1895 A. C. Fox-Davies Armorial Families 423/1 George Patrick Gough, Gentleman, born March 29, 1889.
2.
a. A man having the characteristics traditionally associated with high social standing; a chivalrous, courteous, or honourable man.In this sense the term is frequently defined by reference to the later derived senses of ‘gentle’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > good repute > reputability or honourableness > [noun] > gentlemanliness or gentlewomanliness > person
gentlemana1275
gentlewoman1628
honnête homme1666
gentilhomme1749
a1275 (?c1200) Prov. Alfred (Trin. Cambr.) (1955) 134 Hic ne sige nout bi-þan, þat moni ne be gentile man.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iv. l. 2275 (MED) Resonable entencion..Wherof a man the vice eschuieth..and vertu suieth, That is a verrai gentil man.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 2197 Who so is vertuous And in his port nought outrageous..he is gentil by cause he doth As longeth to a gentilman.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clxxxiijv In this acte the lord Clyfford was accompted a tyraunt, and no gentelman.
1604 T. Dekker & T. Middleton Honest Whore v. ii. 499 A soft, meeke, patient, humble, tranquill spirit, The first true Gentle-man, that euer breathd.
1743 N. Appleton Several Disc. Romans VIII. xiv v. 153 The Gentle-Man will treat every Man with due Respect, and will be so friendly, so yielding, and condescending, so obliging, and ready to do a Kindness.
1821 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto III xli. 23 With such true breeding of a gentleman, You never could divine his real thought.
1917 Jrnl. Educ. Dec. 600/1 He's just nice. So good looking, and such a gentleman.
2007 Record (Bergen County, New Jersey) (Nexis) 8 July (Sports section) 13 Ray's a true gentleman and a real sportsman.
b. In extended use. An animal (esp. a horse) which is clever and physically strong, and gentle and obedient in nature.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > temperament > [noun] > well-trained or obedient
thorough-pacer1684
gentleman1889
1889 Daily News 27 Dec. 2/4 A trained and massive bay carthorse..who in pacing, prancing and stepping to music proved himself every inch a gentleman.
1955 W. W. Denlinger Compl. Boston 41 Blink [sc. a prize dog] was said to be both a scrapper and a gentleman.
2011 Welland Valley Feeds Newslet. Dec. 5/3 (advt.) Part Loan 15.3hh Hanoverian gelding. He's a real gentleman, 100% bomb proof in every way.
3.
a. A man of superior position in society, esp. a man of independent means who does not need to work for a living; a man of money and leisure; (also) a man with the refined manners and tastes traditionally associated with high social standing. Cf. fine gentleman n.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > aristocracy or upper class > gentry > [noun] > gentleman
idleman1331
gentleman1509
gent1535
gemmanc1550
gentmana1556
signor1583
gentilhomme1749
nib1819
gentry cove1837
1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. xxx*v Some thynkes hym selfe a gentylman or state Though he a knaue caytyf and bonde churle be.
1583 C. Hollyband Campo di Fior 233 He hath set his minde to keepe horses in stable, and to follow hunting: Thinking that he can not be a gentelman by other wayes.
1636 E. Dacres tr. N. Machiavel Disc. Livy I. 219 Those are call'd gentlemen, that live in idlenesse yet deliciously of the profits of their estates, without having any care to cultivate their lands.
1791 J. Hampson Mem. J. Wesley III. 114 Though gentlemen are often above being religious themselves, they seem generally to have agreed, that it is very proper for the vulgar.
1859 C. Darwin Let. 23 Oct. in Life & Lett. (1887) II. 175 Now I am so completely a gentleman, that I have sometimes a little difficulty to pass the day.
1957 J. Fleming Maiden's Prayer ii. 109 No need for you to do a stroke of work, you can marry money and live the life of a gentleman.
2013 Scotsman (Nexis) 24 Feb. He'd been an officer in the RAF but he couldn't afford the lifestyle of a gentleman.
b. More generally: (a respectful term of reference for) a man.In early use sometimes difficult to distinguish from sense 1a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > man > [noun]
churla800
werec900
rinkeOE
wapmanc950
heOE
wyeOE
gomeOE
ledeOE
seggeOE
shalkOE
manOE
carmanlOE
mother bairnc1225
hemea1250
mother sona1250
hind1297
buck1303
mister mana1325
piecec1325
groomc1330
man of mouldc1330
hathela1350
sire1362
malea1382
fellowa1393
guestc1394
sergeant?a1400
tailarda1400
tulka1400
harlotc1405
mother's sona1470
frekea1475
her1488
masculinea1500
gentlemana1513
horse?a1513
mutton?a1513
merchant1549
child1551
dick1553
sorrya1555
knavea1556
dandiprat1556
cove1567
rat1571
manling1573
bird1575
stone-horse1580
loona1586
shaver1592
slave1592
copemate1593
tit1594
dog1597
hima1599
prick1598
dingle-dangle1605
jade1608
dildoa1616
Roger1631
Johnny1648
boy1651
cod1653
cully1676
son of a bitch1697
cull1698
feller1699
chap1704
buff1708
son of a gun1708
buffer1749
codger1750
Mr1753
he-man1758
fella1778
gilla1790
gloak1795
joker1811
gory1819
covey1821
chappie1822
Charley1825
hombre1832
brother-man1839
rooster1840
blokie1841
hoss1843
Joe1846
guy1847
plug1848
chal1851
rye1851
omee1859
bloke1861
guffin1862
gadgie1865
mug1865
kerel1873
stiff1882
snoozer1884
geezer1885
josser1886
dude1895
gazabo1896
jasper1896
prairie dog1897
sport1897
crow-eater1899
papa1903
gink1906
stud1909
scout1912
head1913
beezer1914
jeff1917
pisser1918
bimbo1919
bozo1920
gee1921
mush1936
rye mush1936
basher1942
okie1943
mugger1945
cat1946
ou1949
tess1952
oke1970
bra1974
muzhik1993
a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Werburge (1521) ii. xiv. sig. p.iiiiv Counnyng surgeans..To cure this gentylman from penalite.
1601 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor v. i. sig. L3v These two gentlemen..very strongly supposing me to be your worships scribe, entreated me to procure them a warrant.
1700 S. L. tr. C. Frick Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 15 This old Gentleman was the first I saw buried after the Sea fashion.
1845 Cobbett's Weekly Reg. 24 Sept. 769 Are there a lady and some gentlemen here to go for Dublin by the Liverpool coach?
1931 Daily Mail 17 June 6/4 Will you please show this gentleman out?
1980 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 2 Aug. (Fanfare section) 2/5 One gentleman is a part-time model who has been all over the world and speaks English, French, Dutch and German.
2008 Independent on Sunday 24 Aug. 38/3 Last week these gentlemen launched the Amethyst Initiative.
c. In legal documents: (the designation of) a man of independent means who has no specific occupation or profession. Cf. 1c. Now historical.
ΚΠ
1792 in H. Taylor Narr. Fixing Lights (1796) 56 (table) William Burstal..Occupation. Gentleman.
1899 County Gentleman 25 Nov. 1488/1 In this [column] he solemnly entered ‘occupation, Gentleman, N. B., retired’.
1999 R. Howells Myth of Titanic iv. 81 A late Edwardian England in which it was still possible officially to describe one's occupation as ‘gentleman’ if one had no need to work for a living.
d. Cricket. An amateur player in first-class cricket. Opposed to player n.1 3c. Also in extended use in other sports, esp. golf. Now chiefly historical.The distinction between gentlemen and players was abolished in 1963. Annual matches between teams of the Gentlemen and the Players were a feature of the English cricket season from 1806 through to 1962.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricketer > [noun] > amateur player
gentleman1793
1793 S. Britcher Compl. List Grand Matches Cricket 3 Six gentlemen and five players of Eaton, against six gentlemen and five players of Westminster.
1891 W. G. Grace Cricket vii. 210 Every player selected by the Committee to play against the Gentlemen is paid at the rate of £10 per match.
1928 Country Life 16 June 889/1 [Golf.]The Gentlemen had Mr. ‘Chick’ Evans and the Players Arnaud Massy.
1971 A. Price Alamut Ambush xii. 140 That calculated..amateurishness of his—the flouting of the rules to prove that he was a gentleman rather than a player.
2005 B. Smart Sport Star i. 1 In 1865 a very young W. G. Grace..played cricket for the Gentlemen for the first time.
4. As a form of address.
a. In singular. Used as a polite form of address to a man, esp. (in early use) to one of high social standing. Frequently with preceding adjective expressing a positive quality, as in good gentleman, kind gentleman, etc.In later use sometimes with overtones of brusqueness or hostility.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > man > [noun] > as a form of address
lordOE
wye1340
gentleman1534
old fellow1567
gaff1573
godhood1586
gaffer1590
dad1605
daddy1681
hearty1735
cock-of-wax1790
governor1819
bub1839
smarty1847
doc1870
guy1876
Sunny Jim1903
big guy1910
chief1927
daddy-o1944
pops1944
tosh1954
Sonny Jim1960
ese1961
majita1963
G1990
mi'jito1990
1534 N. Udall Floures for Latine Spekynge gathered oute of Terence f. 18 Oh come hyther gentylman, howe say you?
1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 9v Gentleman and friend, the triall I haue had of thy manners, [etc.].
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream iii. i. 176 Your name honest gentleman ? View more context for this quotation
1702 J. Vanbrugh False Friend iii. 30 Tell me kind Gentleman, if I have not something to excite you?
1855 G. D. Ruffini Dr. Antonio xvi. 288 A sanctuary like this, my good gentleman, is not to be found elsewhere in all Christendom.
1900 A. Quiller-Couch Old Fires & Profitable Ghosts iii. 49 Kind gentleman, spare a copper.
1997 J. Franklin Last Waltz in Goodhue xvi. 288 My dear gentleman, I do not paint barns.
b. In plural. A polite form of address to a group of men. Cf. ladies and gentlemen.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous forms of address or title > [noun] > for a man > for men
sirea1375
sirs1459
my masters?a1500
gentleman1578
1578 J. Lyly Euphues To Rdrs. sig. Aiiij I Was driuen into a quandarie Gentlemen, whether [etc.].
1670 J. Dryden Tyrannick Love Epil. 67 I come, kind Gentlemen, strange news to tell ye.
1743 J. Bulkeley & J. Cummins Voy. to South-seas 93 The Captain said, Very well, Gentlemen, you have caught me Napping; I do not see any of you in Liquor.
1851 Househ. Words No. 45. 436 ‘Aha!’ exclaimed the director, ‘..This way, gentlemen!’
1935 F. W. Crofts Crime at Guildford xi. 146 ‘Good morning, gentlemen,’ he said breezily.
2017 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 4 Nov. r1 Well, gentlemen, are you entirely finished?
c. U.S. With the. Used to address or refer to a male (fellow) member of the House of Representatives. Cf. gentlewoman n. 6, gentlelady n. 2.Usually more fully as the gentleman from —— (with the state represented by the member specified).
ΚΠ
1789 Gazette of U.S. (N.Y.) 1 July 89/2 We always have the power of impeachment in our hands; but as it is a doubtful clause, as observed by the gentleman from Connecticut, we ought not to meddle with it.
1833 Deb. Congr. U.S. 31 Jan. 1521 The gentleman from Maryland has gone off half cocked.
1980 Compilation Housing & Community Devel. Amendm. 1979 (U.S. Senate, Subcomm. Housing & Community Devel. of Comm. on Banking, Finance & Urban Affairs, 96th Congr., 2nd Sess.) 365 Mr. Chairman, I want to associate myself with the gentleman's remarks.
2003 Congress. Rec. 27 Jan. 1771/1 At this time I would like to yield to the gentleman from Oregon, and..ask leave that he control the remainder of the time.
5. A male member of a society, institution, profession, etc. Frequently with of followed by the name of the society or profession in question. Chiefly in plural.See also gentleman of the long robe and honourable gentleman.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > title > title or form of address for persons of rank > [noun] > of member(s) of certain societies or professions
gentleman1543
1543 W. Turner Huntyng Romishe Fox sig. Aiiijv Ye lordly byschoppes & ye Clean fyngred gentle men of the clergi is not the fox of rome other wys called Papa among yow?
1681 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) I. 101 The addresse of some gentlemen of the Middle Temple was presented on Sunday last.
1762 K. Fitzgerald in Philos. Trans. 1761 (Royal Soc.) 52 154 I..have placed the instruments for the inspection of the gentlemen of the Royal Society, in their meeting-room.
1779 Philos. Trans. 1778 (Royal Soc.) 68 613 He was a gentleman of the law, in a fine rich claret-coloured dress.
1933 Science 13 Oct. 336/2 The medical alumni and guests with several other gentlemen of the board of overseers and corporation.
2000 Sunday Tasmanian (Nexis) 20 Aug. The gentlemen of the Royal Society obtained a government grant for books.
6. Chiefly humorous or euphemistic. A man, esp. one not of gentle birth or rank, who engages in an occupation or profession. Followed by of and a noun considered indicative of the occupation, profession, etc., as in gentleman of the ring: a boxer.
ΚΠ
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. ii. 26 Let vs be Dianaes forresters, gentlemen of the shade, minions of the moone.
1630 J. Taylor Great Eater of Kent 5 Some [live] by smoake; as tobacconists, knights of the vapour, gentlemen of the whiffe, esquires of the pipe.
1718 Entertainer 294 The Gentlemen of the Pad, and those that Rob on the Road, shall die at the Tree for Actions trifling..with respect to these.
1805 Mrs. Burke Secret of Cavern II. 29 Lady Letitia..had been bred in the stable with her brother's grooms, and carried the manners..the attitudes and looks of those gentlemen of the whip into all the circles where her rank gained her admittance.
1867 O. W. Holmes Guardian Angel x He had got an ugly blow on the forehead, and his eyes were ‘in mourning’, as the gentlemen of the ring say.
2011 taxidermista 19 May in twitter.com (accessed 27 July 2020) Good morning gentlemen of the wheel.
7. Following a possessive, chiefly in gentleman's gentleman: a man's valet. Cf. sense 1b.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > personal or domestic servant > attendant or personal servant > [noun] > valet
manc1175
valet1567
varlet of the chamber1567
point-trusser1594
valect1610
valet-de-chambre1646
Andrew1700
gentleman's gentleman1704
bearer1727
sirdar-bearer1782
sardar1816
tiring-man1856
Jeeves1952
1704 R. Steele Lying Lover ii. 18 The Gentleman's Gentleman came up to me very civilly, and said his Master was in Discourse with my Lady he suppos'd.
1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker I. 85 I took down the name from his gentleman, Mr. O Frizzle. [Said by a maid servant.]
1820 Countess Granville Lett. (1894) I. 186 The gentlemen's gentlemen and two impudent Englishmen had been examined.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair xliv. 398 The footman told the circumstance as a good joke to Lord Steyne's coachman; that officer imparted it to Lord Steyne's gentleman, and to the servants' hall in general.
1936 R. H. Mottram Portrait of Unknown Victorian iv. 133 Jonah Dye, more than a gentleman's gentleman.., entered upon the humble duties of a messenger to Gurneys'.
2013 Atlantic Online (Nexis) 2 Jan. The gentleman found himself obliged to take an interest, however slight, in the affairs of his gentleman's gentleman.
8. Used euphemistically.
a. Usually with capital initial. A smuggler. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > trader > [noun] > smuggler
lorendriver1649
smuggler1661
gentleman1726
contrabandist1813
fair trader1824
spotsman1827
contrabandista1832
1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World xiii. 391 Our ship was in an instant full of these swarthy Gentlemen quite naked.
1830 John Bull 25 Oct. 341/3 The Spanish Government has recently deprived these frontier gentlemen of the right of smuggling, and has required them to pay taxes.
1906 R. Kipling Puck of Pook's Hill 251 Watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by!
1929 G. Greene Man Within i. iv. 92 ‘You know who I am?’..‘One of the Gentlemen.’
1966 E. Radford & M. A. Radford Death of ‘Gentleman’ xxii. 188 A smuggler..engaged in the Gentlemen's trade.
b. A highwayman. Cf. gentleman of the road.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > robber > [noun] > highwayman
routerc1300
malandryna1438
stradarolle1562
highpad1567
highway robber1577
way-beatera1586
lance-man1589
high lawyer1591
St. Nicholas' clerk1598
outrider1599
bidstand1600
land-pirate1608
highwayman1617
pad1652
knight of the road1665
rum-padder1665
paddist1671
rum pad1688
pad-thief1690
gentleman (also squire) of the pad1700
snaffler1728
gentleman1778
scamp1782
scampsman1799
bandolero1832
ladrone1832
Spring-heeled Jack1838
road agent1840
agent1876
1778 J. Wedgwood Let. 19 Mar. in Sel. Lett. (1965) 218 I got some knowledge of the gentlemen..and sent some of my people in pursuit of them who soon brought me in two of the robbers.
1855 E. C. Gaskell Squire's Story in Novels & Tales (1873) IV. 228 Kate Hearn's husband collected his rents on the highway, like many another ‘gentleman’ of the day.
1999 F. McLynn Crime & Punishment 18th Cent. Eng. iv. 60 Mounted, the highwayman felt no temptation to kill..his victim... The fact that honourable behaviour was possible encouraged other impoverished ‘gentlemen’ to go on the road.
9. British. Chiefly in plural and in the form the gentlemen's: a lavatory or washroom for men. Cf. gents n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > water-closet or lavatory > public > men's
the gentlemen's1929
men's room1929
gents1938
1929 ‘H. Green’ Living xviii. 213 ‘You go and leave them in the Gentlemen.’ ‘Leave 'em in the lavatory?’
1934 E. Waugh Handful of Dust iii. 117 ‘I tell you what I must do, is to telephone. Where is it?’ ‘D'you mean really the telephone or the gentlemen's?’
1941 J. Cary Herself Surprised xliv. 108 There are quays there and lamps and some squares of grass; a ladies and gentlemen, and a cinema.
2015 @MagnusEngvall 21 Nov. in twitter.com (accessed 17 Aug. 2020) Queuing to what I assume is the gentlemens.
II. In extended uses.† 10. The northern gannet, Morus bassanus. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Pelecaniformes > [noun] > family Sulidae (gannets) > sula bassana (gannet)
ganneta1000
solana1525
solanc1540
booby1625
gentleman1676
Sula1678
1676 J. Sterpin tr. L. J. Debes Færoœ ii. 144 The Sule is a pretty great Fowl being of a blewish gray, it is also found in Scotland, and is called by Seamen, a Gentleman.
1796 P. A. Nemnich Allgemeines Polyglotten-Lex. V. 774 Gentleman. The gannet.
1885 Standard Nat. Hist. IV. 188 Other names bestowed upon these birds [sc. gannets] are ‘gentleman’, or ‘Jan van Gent’.
11. A metal turntable of adjustable height, used in soldering items of pewter. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1843 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. I. xxi. 450 The pewter wares, many of which are circular, are placed on the gentleman, a revolving pedestal which may be adjusted by the side screw to any height.
1876 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. (new ed.) III. 2241/1 The work is supported on a revolving pedestal b, termed the gentleman, which may be adjusted by a side-screw to any desired hight.
1935 Foundry Trade Jrnl. 52 381/1 A circular article to be soldered is usually placed on a rotating table of iron..known in the trade as a ‘gentleman’—why, no one knows.
1984 Tin & its Uses (Internat. Tin Res. Inst.) No. 142 70/1 Modifications to the ‘Gentleman’ (the turntable used to support a tankard during soldering) means the tankard body is now clamped securely in position.
Phrases
P1. In the names of various office holders.
a. Gentleman at Arms: a member of the body of men serving as guards or attendants to the British monarch within the royal palace.The corps of the Gentlemen at Arms was instituted as a royal bodyguard by Henry VIII in 1509. Its members were originally called Spears or Spearmen, from 1539 Pensioners, and later also Gentlemen Pensioners (cf. gentleman-pensioner). The Gentlemen at Arms last acted in their capacity as bodyguards to the monarch during the English Civil War; since then, they attend to the monarch only at ceremonial occasions. In early use the guard was composed of gentlemen (see sense 1b); now, its members are typically retired military officers.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > retainer or follower > [noun] > armed retainer or bodyguard > gentleman at arms
pensioner1548
gentleman-pensioner1566
Gentleman at Arms1583
1583 G. Whetstone Remembraunce Erle of Sussex sig. A4v (margin) Queene Mary..made him Captaine of the pentioners and gentlemen at armes.
1755 London in Miniature 23 A compleat Suit of Tilting-armour, such as the..Gentlemen at Arms used to exercise in.
1889 John Bull 2 Mar. 149/2 Her Majesty's Body Guard of the Hon. Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms was on duty in the State saloons.
1936 Times 25 Jan. 10/3 As soon as he had passed through the doors into St. Stephen's Hall the Gentleman-at-Arms collapsed.
2016 www.royal.uk/gentlemen-arms 25 Feb. (accessed 12 June 2020) Since 1856, when the award was instituted, twelve Gentlemen at Arms have been holders of the Victoria Cross.
b. Originally and chiefly British. gentleman of the bedchamber and variants: a man, typically of noble birth, appointed to provide companionship and personal assistance to the monarch or Prince of Wales; cf. gentleman of the chamber, gentleman of the privy chamber.
ΚΠ
1606 J. Reynolds Dolarnys Primerose sig. A2 To the right Honourable, Esme Stewart, Lord of Aubignuy, and one of the Gentlemen of his Maiesties bed-Chamber.
1685 London Gaz. No. 2028/2 Then the Lord Churchill Gentleman of the Bedchamber, followed by Two Grooms of the Bed-Chamber.
1791 Weekly Entertainer 21 Feb. 189 Four gentleman of the king's bedchamber.., willing to gratify the anger of their prince.., instantly resolved to execute his menaces.
1863 Crown Princess of Prussia Let. 1 Sept. in Dearest Mama (1968) 261 We are left to the care of a very funny old gentleman of the bedchamber.
2013 Sunday Mail (S. Austral.) (Nexis) 13 Oct. (State ed.) (Features section) 39 The modern palace still has ladies and gentlemen of the bedchamber, clerks of the closet and a good supply of grooms and aides-de-camp.
c. gentleman of the Chapel Royal and variants: a member of the choir of the British royal household.In quot. 1548 in the form gentleman of the chapel.Cf. child n. 4b.
ΚΠ
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII fol. xv There was an interlude of the gentelmen of hys chapell before his grace.]
1689 Exact Acct. Ceremonial at Coronation King William & Queen Mary 2 The Heralds Marshalled the Proceeding in this manner... The Sergeant Porter and Sergeant of the Vestry; Children of the Chapel Royal; the Choir of Westminster; Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal.
1776 Gazetteer & New Daily Advertiser 12 June The principal Vocal Part by Mr. John Friend, Gentleman of the Chapel Royal.
1851 Athenæum 21 July 667/1 Some of the gentlemen of the Chapel Royal this day week commenced a series of Chamber Concerts at Willis's Rooms.
1934 Manch. Guardian 10 Nov. 13/3 A combined choir of over 70 will sing. It will be composed of the Abbey Choir, the children and gentlemen of the Chapel Royal, and representatives of the Choir of St George's Chapel.
2017 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 13 Apr. 19 Leicester's Trebles and Songmen with the Children and the Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal will sing Wash Me Thoroughly set by Samuel Sebastian Wesley.
d. gentleman of the chamber and variants: a man, typically of noble birth, appointed to provide companionship and personal assistance to the monarch or Prince of Wales; cf. gentleman of the bedchamber, gentleman of the privy chamber.
ΚΠ
1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1776/1 Monsieur Destrees, & a Gentleman of the kings chamber were sent in.
1656 tr. J. Popham Rep. & Cases 177 He was well discended, and was a Gentleman of the Chamber to Prince Henry.
1720 D. Manley Power of Love iii. 216 His Gentleman of the Chamber, who was the Confidant of all his Amours.
1862 Sat. Rev. 21 June 717/2 The gentleman of the chamber wrote a letter to him in his own handwriting, and sealed with his own seal.
1950 S. Shellabarger King's Cavalier xxii. 144 He was a gentleman of the King's chamber and High Lord of Woods and Forests.
2017 A. Malcolm Royal Favouritism & Governing Elite Spanish Monarchy, 1640–65 ii. 44 The king would also hand out posts of gentlemen of the chamber to noblemen appointed to army commands, or diplomatic offices.
e. gentleman of the horse and variants: an officer responsible for the horses belonging to the monarch or a noble. Now historical.The gentleman of the horse is second in command to the master of the horse. From the middle of the 19th cent., the position in the British royal household has been called Crown Equerry n.
ΚΠ
c1661 in 12th Rep. Hist. MSS Comm. App. Pt. V: MSS Duke of Rutland (1889) II. 6 in Parl. Papers (C. 5889-II) XLIV. 393 Gervise Lucas served George Earle of Rutland as gentleman of his horse some yeares.
1738 Country Jrnl. May 1/3 [One of this family] was admitted, purely out of Compassion, as an Helper in the Stable, by the Gentleman of the Horse.
1830 Observer 17 May 4/5 The latter [sc. His Majesty's Colt] is reported to have been rode by his Majesty's Gentleman of the Horse, Mr. D. Radcliffe.
1929 Proc. Royal Irish Acad. 1928–9 C. 37 2 While Ormonde held the sword in Ireland, his family comprised one or more secretaries.., two chaplains, gentleman of the horse.., and some twelve gentlemen at large.
2001 Hist. Jrnl. 44 737 In Anne's reign he became a whig MP, and held the office of gentleman of the horse to the queen.
f. †gentleman-pensioner: a member of the body of gentlemen serving as guards or attendants to the British monarch within the royal palace. Now historical and rare.Gentleman at Arms is now the usual term; see note at Gentleman at Arms at Phrases 1a.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > retainer or follower > [noun] > armed retainer or bodyguard > gentleman at arms
pensioner1548
gentleman-pensioner1566
Gentleman at Arms1583
1566 W. Adlington in tr. Apuleius .XI. Bks. Golden Asse Ep. Ded. sig. * To the right Honorable, and Mightie Lorde, Thomas, Earle of Sussex,..Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter,..and Capitaine of the Gentlemen Pentioners.
a1603 G. Carey Let. to James I in Chamberlayne's Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (1737) 230 It pleased Her Majesty..to grace me with the Captain-ship of Her Band of Gentlemen-Pensioners.
1737 Chamberlayne's Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (ed. 33) ii. 229 His Majesty's Honourable Band of Gentlemen-Pensioners.
1813 Duke of Buccleuch Let. 13 Aug. in J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Scott (1837) I. 283/1 Only think of being chanted and recitatived by a parcel of hoarse and squeaking choristers, on a birthday, for the edification of the bishops, pages, maids of honor, and gentlemen-pensioners!
1996 Sunday Times (Nexis) 9 June An escort of Gentlemen Pensioners.
g. gentleman of the privy chamber and variants: a man, typically of noble birth, appointed to provide companionship and personal assistance to the monarch or Prince of Wales; cf. gentleman of the bedchamber, gentleman of the chamber. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > personal or domestic servant > attendant or personal servant > [noun] > lord-in-waiting
gentlemanc1400
gentleman of the privy chamber1549
privy chamberer1640
Gentleman of the Privy Chamber1681
lord of the bedchamber1717
lord in waiting1719
1549 T. Cooper Lanquet's Epitome of Crons. iii. f. 283v Lady Anne, with hir brother George Bulleine lorde Rochforde, and Henrie Norreis, Francis Weston,..Marke Smeton, gentilmen of the kynges priuie chambre, shortely after was beheaded for dyuers treasons and naughtie actes.
a1641 J. Finett Philoxenis (1656) 41 Halfe a dozen Gentlemen of the privy Chamber, his Majesties Coach, and the Bishop of Winchesters went to receive him [sc. the Ambassador of the King of Sweden] at his Lodging.
1779 London Courant & Westm. Chron. 15 Dec. He had accepted the place of Gentleman of the Privy Chamber in order to avoid serving on Juries.
1953 G. R. Elton Tudor Rev. in Govt. i. 42 During Wolsey's wars household officers, whether gentlemen of the privy chamber or clerks of the kitchen and the like, did good service in the national administration.
2019 Irish Daily Mail (Nexis) 10 May 32 Queen Katherine's fate was sealed when a letter was discovered written by her to Thomas Culpeper, a gentleman of the Privy Chamber and a great favourite of Henry's.
h. gentleman in waiting: a man, typically of noble birth, who attends upon a monarch or other member of the royal family.
ΚΠ
1720 Daily Post 18 Feb. A Letter..was sent to the Duke Regent by a Messenger, that deliver'd it to a Gentleman in waiting.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair lxii. 565 A..gentleman in waiting, in a brown jasey and a green coat covered with orders.
1985 A. Blair Tea at Miss Cranston's xii, in Miss Cranston's Omnibus (1998) 99 The Duke had been a gentleman-in-waiting to Edward VII.
2011 BusinessWorld (Philippines) (Nexis) 28 Nov. s1/4 His gentleman-in-waiting came in to tell him the good news.
P2. my (also your, etc.) gentleman. The man who is the subject of a discussion or story. Also: the man who can fulfil one's requirements; the person whom one is seeking out or pursuing.
ΚΠ
1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. ii. sig. I.6v This digression, as you may imagine, made my Gentleman pull in his hornes, and to acknowledge his fault.
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue i. 55 But afterwards perceiuing, that..this piece of hangings came to be seene..the copy of my Gentlemans countenance was quickly altered, and began suddenly to looke blanke.
1769 T. Nugent tr. P. J. Grosley New Observ. Italy II. 114 In the midst of his overture, the angelus strikes, and my gentleman immediately doffs his hat, and..says the prayer very devoutly.
1837 R. M. Bird Nick of Woods II. ix. 114 This being a duty requiring the utmost secrecy and circumspection, he insisted it could not be safely committed to more than one person. ‘In that case,’ said valiant Ralph, ‘I'm your gentleman!’
c1887 H. Lapham in D. M. Davin N.Z. Short Stories (1953) 38 So very soon, my gentleman rode off, and I blest my stars that he was gone before Jim put in an appearance.
2010 J. McGregor Even Dogs (2011) iv. 156 Not unless the toxicology comes back and it turns out your gentleman's been poisoned by arsenic.
P3. gentleman-at-large: (a) †a man of noble birth attached to a monarch's court but having no special duties assigned to him (obsolete); (b) (humorous) a man who is unemployed; a man who does not work, esp. one of independent means (cf. sense 3c).
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > retainer or follower > [noun] > courtier
hired-gomec1275
courtierc1290
court-manc1386
gentlemanc1400
curial1447
courtnoll1568
gentleman-at-large1583
courty1606
courtling1616
1583 tr. B. des Périers Mirrour of Mirth f. 34v (title of section) Of Mistris Furrier, that lodged a Gentleman at large.
1641 Newes from North sig. A4 I was her chiefe gentleman usher, and many times upon occasion her hackster; when I was gentleman at large and out of service, I hunted bowling allies, and lived much upon the rooke there.
1725 Case of Late Election for Deputy Recorder 21 That Vacancy likewise, was filled up in September last, by the Choice of Francis Kenton, Esq; a Gentleman at large.
1862 Mrs. H. Wood Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles ii. iv. 168 ‘Turn manufacturer, indeed! I'd rather——’ ‘You'd rather be a gentleman at large’.
1963 Mississippi Valley Hist. Rev. 50 125 Paulding was a good example of the kind of gentleman-at-large that the era could produce—poet, playwright, novelist, polite politician, critic of and commentator on the times.
2010 Econ. Times (Nexis) 9 Jan. Mr Singh is now a self-proclaimed ‘gentleman at large with no desire to return to active politics’.
ΚΠ
1538 T. Elyot Dict. Filius terre, a newe begunne gentylman, or a gentylman of the fyrste heed.
1597 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet ii. iii. 22 The very butcher of a silken button, a Duellist, a gentleman of the very first house of the first and second cause.
a1625 J. Fletcher Womans Prize iv. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ppppp/1 But to be made..a Gentleman o' th first house For all my kindnesse to her.
1689 J. Collier Moral Ess. conc. Pride 82 A Gentleman of the first Head has a particular reason to manage his Advancement obligingly: For by treating the little People roughly, he does in effect but expose his Ancestours and reproach his own former Condition.
P5. euphemistic. the gentleman in black and variants: the Devil. Now rare. See also old gentleman n. 2 and the old gentleman in black (now the more usual term).In quot. 1669 in the form Gentleman in the black Pantalloons.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > a devil > the Devil or Satan > [noun]
devileOE
Beelzebubc950
the foul ghosteOE
SatanOE
warlockOE
SatanasOE
worsea1200
unwinea1225
wondc1250
quedea1275
pucka1300
serpenta1300
dragon1340
shrew1362
Apollyon1382
the god of this worldc1384
Mahoundc1400
leviathan1412
worsta1425
old enemyc1449
Ruffin1567
dismal1570
Plotcocka1578
the Wicked One1582
goodman1603
Mahu1603
foul thief1609
somebody1609
legiona1616
Lord of Flies1622
walliman1629
shaitan1638
Old Nicka1643
Nick1647
unsel?1675
old gentleman1681
old boy1692
the gentleman in black1693
deuce1694
Black Spy1699
the vicious one1713
worricow1719
Old Roger1725
Lord of the Flies1727
Simmie1728
Old Scratch1734
Old Harry1777
Old Poker1784
Auld Hornie1786
old (auld), ill thief1789
old one1790
little-good1821
Tom Walker1833
bogy1840
diabolarch1845
Old Ned1859
iniquity1899
1669 J. Dryden Wild Gallant iv. i. 45 I have not yet spoke with the Gentleman in the black Pantalloons; you know he seldome walkes abroad by day-light.]
1693 R. Kirby Dreadful News from Wapping 4 She then seemed to be extraordinary sensible of her former and present Condition, relating as before about the Gentleman in black.
1893 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 408/2 The gentleman in black (or rather, the Devil) vanished clean away from her.
1967 Folklore 78 301 In Somerset, we speak of His Satanic Majesty respectfully as ‘The Gentleman in Black’.
P6. euphemistic. gentleman of the road.
a. A highwayman; cf. sense 8b. Now historical.
ΚΠ
1683 J. M. Traveller's Guide To Rdr. sig. A3 Those discontented, designing, profligate Wretches, the Robbers upon the High-way; fellows by their own Heraldry intitling themselves Gentlemen of the Road.
1728 J. Gay Beggar's Opera iii. xvi. 75 It is difficult to determine whether (in the fashionable Vices) the fine Gentlemen imitate the Gentlemen of the Road, or the Gentlemen of the Road the fine Gentlemen.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas I. i. v. 55 I do not think you are fool enough to make any bones about consorting with gentlemen of the road.
1986 T. Mo Insular Possession xl. 531 Subscribers..should be well advised that when Dick Turpin changes his nom de plume his occupation is still that of gentleman of the road.
2007 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 4 July e13 The 18th century saw these ‘gentlemen of the road’ turn into figures of romance.
b. A male commercial traveller. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1825 La Belle Assemblée Sept. 99/1 A small inn in a small village, little frequented except by those gentlemen of the road who are styled by courtesy commercial ambassadors.
1869 A. Trollope Vicar of Bullhampton v. xxix. 184 They had no coffee room at the Bull, and strangers who came that way were of necessity shown into that in which the gentlemen of the road were wont to relax themselves.
1969 K. Giles Death cracks Bottle viii. 96 ‘A survival of the gentlemen of the road—all little cads in Volks today.’..‘I should say..that Mr Rumly is the best in the business of selling wines.’
c. A man who travels from place to place on foot in search of work or as a vagrant or beggar.
ΚΠ
1841 C. G. F. Gore Cecil I. v. 222 The incipient Order that was to supersede the bucks, ruffians, and bang-up gentlemen of the road, so long in possession of the pavé.
1951 O. Duff Shepherd's Cal. (1961) 39 I came with another gentleman of the road to Earnscleugh homestead in Central Otago.
2018 Northern Echo 30 Mar. You don't get as many gentlemen of the road as you once did.
P7. gentleman in red: a soldier. Now archaic and rare.
ΚΠ
1699 T. Brown Coll. Misc. Poems, Lett. 171 As for her pitching upon a soldier to be her gallant,..the Gentlemen in red..have for several ages been in possession of the Sex.
1774 C. Lee Let. 16 Dec. in E. Burke Corr. (1844) I. 513 We gentlemen in red never chose to remember that..the provincials never led the flight.
1825 Morning Post 18 May Those who thought..that neither our Gentlemen in black, nor our Gentlemen in red, ought to be better paid or increased in numbers.
1933 R. Kipling in Strand Feb. 126 I..was a Gentleman in Red When all the Quorn wore woad, Sir.
P8. euphemistic. gentleman of fortune: a pirate. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1724 ‘C. Johnson’ Gen. Hist. Pyrates x. 163 Roberts saluted him after a friendly manner, telling him, that they were Gentlemen of Fortune, but that their Business with him, was only to be informed which was the richest Ship in that Fleet.
1883 R. L. Stevenson Treasure Island xxxii. 270 There's seven hundred thousand pound not a quarter of a mile from here. When did ever a gentleman o' fortune show his stern to that much dollars?
2010 Pioneer (India) (Nexis) 11 May These 'gentlemen of fortune' continue to seize new ships and their crews, releasing them for ransom.
P9. British. humorous. the (little) gentleman in (black or brown) velvet: a mole. rare.Apparently a Jacobite phrase, referring to the belief that the death of William III was caused by his horse's stumbling over a molehill.
ΚΠ
1758 T. Smollett Hist. Eng. (ed. 3) VI. 326 They drank to the health of Sorrel, meaning the horse that fell with the king, and, under the appellation of the little gentleman in velvet, toasted the mole that raised the hill over which the horse had stumbled.
1814 W. Scott Waverley I. xi. 152 The little gentleman in black velvet who did such service in 1702. View more context for this quotation
1971 Times 16 Dec. 8/8 If you pick up the little gentleman in black velvet, he is liable to bite you, sharply.
2011 Financial Times 19 Nov. 10 How can we control the ‘gentlemen in brown velvet’ now that strychnine is technically banned?
P10. gentleman of three outs and variants: a man without the qualities necessary to call himself a gentleman; spec. a man without honour, manners, and money. Also occasionally: a gentleman who has fallen on hard times. Now rare.Cf. to drink the three outs.
ΚΠ
1785 F. Grose Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue Gentlemen of three outs, i.e. without money, without wit, and without manners.
1830 E. Bulwer-Lytton Paul Clifford I. iv. 64 A gentleman of three outs—‘out of pocket, out of elbows, and out of credit’.
1890 All Year Round 15 Dec. 165/2 In Ireland there are ‘gentlemen of the four outs’—which is to say, persons without wit, without money, without credit, and without manners.
1938 P. Slater Robert Harding iii. 31 Most of your present company are gentlemen of the Three Outs—out at the pocket, out of friends and out at the elbows.
P11. gentleman of the press: a male journalist or reporter; frequently in plural.Sometimes ironic or humorous.
ΚΠ
1797 Monthly Rev. Jan. 97 Mr. Taplin, whose fame as an ‘equestrian physician’ has subjected him to this unworthy treatment from one of the industrious gentlemen of the press.
1869 All Year Round 10 July 132/1 Defoe was not merely a gentleman of the press.., but a literary genius of the highest rank.
1943 I. Litvinov Moscow Myst. vii. 78 What makes you gentlemen of the press get wind of just what you're not meant to?
2013 Courier Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 7 Sept. 84 He is most remembered as an old-school gentleman of the press—calm in a crisis, passionate about local news, tough on editorial accuracy.
P12. gentleman of the short staff: a policeman. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
1839 W. H. Ainsworth Jack Sheppard I. i. ii. 42 In the language of the gentlemen of the short staff.
P13. Originally and chiefly Irish English. the gentleman who pays the rent and variants : a pig. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1845 Cork Examiner 7 Nov. No shed for fuel, no pigsty for ‘the gentleman who pays the rent’.
1956 Irish Times 29 Aug. 6/1 Swine fever may assail, perhaps mortally, not only gentlemen who pay the rent, but gentlemen in general.
ΚΠ
1885 G. A. Sala in Daily Tel. 14 Aug. 5/3 Bed bugs..are the disagreeable insects known in modern polite English as ‘Norfolk Howards’, or ‘gentlemen in brown’.
1899 Good Words 40 29/2 The little gentleman in brown on the further side [of the crack in the floor] is endowed with a very keen sense of smell.
Compounds
C1. Senses with the sense ‘that is both a gentleman and a ——’.The plural gentlemen is often used when the second element is in the plural.
a. With nouns referring to a person's employment, profession, pursuits, etc. Now rare.Often with the implication that the man concerned is of a higher social class than might ordinarily be the case for a particular occupation or pursuit.Cf. gentleman-commoner n., gentleman farmer n., gentleman-usher n. [Attested slightly earlier in a surname: Adae Gentilmanpage (?c1382).]
ΚΠ
1432 in Cal. Proc. Chancery Queen Elizabeth (1827) I. p. xxviii (MED) The Erle of Oxenford sent vj persones of his owen men, of the which oon was a Gentilman Marchall of the saide erles halle.
1511 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. I. 182 That every gentilman answerer doo subscribe his name to the Articles.
1548 W. Patten Exped. Scotl. H viij a Gentleman harbyngerof ye armie.
1680 J. Dryden Kind Keeper iii. i. 25 There might be some Gentleman-Lodger in the house.
1725 D. Defoe Compl. Eng. Tradesman I. xii. 177 It is the ordinary excuse of the gentlemen tradesmen of our times, that they have good servants.
1842 C. J. Lever Jack Hinton in Dublin Univ. Mag. Apr. 434/2 That singular anomaly in our social condition, a gentleman-rider, ready upon any occasion to get into the saddle for any one that engaged his services.
1896 R. Kipling Seven Seas 24 Then said the souls of the gentlemen-adventurers..‘Ho, we revel in our chains O'er the sorrow that was Spain's.’
1958 Times Lit. Suppl. 15 Aug. p. xxiii/1 They are to the gentleman publisher what ideas men, public relations experts, copy-writers, and designers are to the common industrialist.
2016 Grimsby Tel. (Nexis) 15 July 19 It could equally be the work of a gentleman amateur.
b. As a modifier, designating a male animal.
ΚΠ
1843 E. Bulwer-Lytton Last of Barons I. i. viii. 131 The patient mongrel carries off the bone from the gentlemen-hounds.
1855 S. A. Hammett Wonderful Adventures Captain Priest xvi. 111 A pugnacious gentleman turkey.
1875 Sporting Times 18 Dec. 713/2 The Baroness of Never-mind-who had three doe rabbits of remarkable beauty, and wishing to have their species propagated, she requested her Butler to take them to a wellbred gentleman rabbit.
1985 J. Hawkes Innocence in Extremis 80 Which do you prefer,..the gentleman horse or the lady horse?
2018 @scib0rg 1 May in twitter.com (accessed 28 May 2020) I am SUCH a sucker for the old lady and gentleman cats that no one wants.
c.
gentleman attendant n. a man of gentle birth attached to the household of a monarch or a noble.
ΚΠ
1606 R. Fletcher Nine Eng. Worthies 10 The pangs of death hauing power ouer him he seemed dead, and the gentlemen Attendants couered his face with a vaile.
1808 Morning Chron. 24 Oct. The Prince of Wales has been pleased to appoint Lieutenant-Colonel Bloomfield, of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, to be Gentleman Attendant to his Royal Highness.
2010 H. Gatti Ess. G. Bruno (2011) xiii. 264 Bruno's Italian works, written and published in England during his years in the French Embassy in London as a Gentleman Attendant on the Ambassador between 1583 and 1585.
gentleman cadet n. Military (now chiefly Indian English) a young man being trained to become an officer; also as a title.
ΚΠ
1691 Treaty between Lewis XIV & States Gen. 6/2 (heading) Gentlemen Cadets.
1775 H. Swinburne Trav. Spain xliv The royal apartments are now occupied by a college of young gentlemen cadets, educated at the king's expence.
1840 in A. Ponsonby H. Ponsonby (1942) 19 Every one of the Masters speaks of Gentleman Cadet Ponsonby in very favourable terms.
2018 Times of India (Nexis) 12 Mar. She was among the 255 officer cadets, including 196 gentleman cadets and 37 lady cadets, who were commissioned as officers.
gentleman caller n. a male visitor; spec. a (potential) suitor or lover.Now chiefly humorous or self-consciously archaic.
ΚΠ
1851 Dollar Mag. Feb. 96/1 An appeal to the ladies not to offer any intoxicating drinks on New Year's day to their gentlemen callers.
1945 T. Williams Glass Menagerie i. i. 8 One Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain—your mother received—seventeen!—gentleman callers!
2017 Washington Post (Nexis) 16 Aug. (Style section) c1 Rachel begins..with stories about her own..online-dating travails. Her second gentleman caller had distractingly dirty fingernails.
gentleman convict n. now historical a man of high social status serving a sentence of imprisonment, transportation, etc.; spec. (Australian) a transported convict whose prior education or training makes him suitable for clerical or professional work.
ΚΠ
1777 London Mag. May 227/2 A number of persons have been induced to visit Woolwich and the river Thames, to have a sight of these two gentlemen convicts.
1791 Lloyd's Evening Post 3–5 Jan. 14/2 Arrived here..on their way to Plymouth, to be shipped from Botany-Bay, 22 convicts in an open waggon, and two (who are stiled Gentlemen-convicts) in a tilted cart.
1832 Foreign Q. Rev. May 428 The pickpockets become tapsters, waiters, and servants, while the gentlemen convicts are converted into government clerks, book-keepers, and tutors in families.
1932 San Mateo (Calif.) Times 26 Jan. 5/3 Abe Powers, ‘gentleman’ convict of bunco fame.
2016 Australian (Nexis) 27 Feb. (Review section) 18 [The character] is inspired by ‘a real gentleman convict’, James Tucker, who..is generally reckoned to be the author of one of the first Australian convict novels.
gentleman cricketer n. Cricket (now historical) an amateur player in first-class cricket; cf. sense 3d.The distinction between gentlemen and players was abolished in 1963. Annual matches between teams of the Gentlemen and the Players were a feature of the English cricket season from 1806 through to 1962.
ΚΠ
1773 Morning Chron. 29 June The following is a list of the Gentlemen Cricketers, who played on Monday and Tuesday last.
1868 Sporting Gaz. 25 July 686/2 They played a strong team of gentleman cricketers, there being two old ‘Oxford Blues’ on their side.
2015 i-Independent 28 Aug. 52/3 Arthur Morris, gentleman cricketer, was.., ‘one whose intelligence and respect for the verities equal his talents as a cricketer’.
gentleman friend n. a male friend; (in later use) a boyfriend, a sweetheart.Now chiefly humorous or self-consciously archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > a lover > [noun] > male lover
servantc1405
specialc1425
servitorc1450
love-lad1586
young man1589
inamorato1592
swainc1592
gentleman friend1667
enamorado1677
spark1707
beau?1720
Johnny1726
man friend1736
feller1842
novio1843
soupirant1849
fella1874
man1874
fellow1878
square-pusher1890
stud1895
papa1896
lover mana1905
boyfriend1906
daddy1912
lover-boy1925
sheikh1925
sweetback1929
sweet man1942
older man1951
boyf1990
1667 R. L'Estrange tr. F. de Quevedo Visions vi. 200 My Gentleman Friend; (quoth the Devil) your Grandfather wore a Sword.
1829 M. B. Smith Let. 27 Nov. in 40 Years Washington Society (1906) 307 We have at least 6 or 7 young gentlemen friends, who are frequently with us.
1935 N. Marsh & H. Jellett Nursing-home Murder xii. 187 I hope you were not very shocked at what my gentleman-friend said..?
2017 Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Nexis) 8 Dec. 7 Aunt Edna's mysterious new gentleman friend.
gentleman player n. Cricket (now chiefly historical) an amateur player in first-class cricket; also in extended use in other sports (cf. sense 3d).
ΚΠ
1783 Morning Chron. 23 June Besides his Grace and Sir H. Mann, Colonel Tarleton is to be added to the list of Gentlemen players.
1832 P. Egan Bk. Sports 346/1 Who can beat twenty-two, with some wickets to spare, Of the gentlemen-players.
1906 A. E. Knight Compl. Cricketer ix. 299 The real gentleman player has no love for these miserable..labels and distinctions.
2018 Courier Mail (Austral.) (Nexis) 7 Jan. (Agenda section) 68 A time when gentlemen players from the Queensland bush ruled the tennis world in the 50s and 60s.
gentleman scholar n. (a) a financially independent man who pursues academic study for leisure, typically without having a salaried attachment to an academic institution (now historical); (b) a man who is well-mannered and well-educated; an admirable, gentlemanly man.
ΚΠ
1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 66 (title of section) Euphues to the Gentlemen schollers in Athens.
1748 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 27 Sept. (1932) (modernized text) IV. 1229 Those who have read the most Latin..write the worst; and this distinguishes the Latin of a gentleman scholar from that of a pedant.
1976 Current Anthropol. 17 253/2 Given a choice between the competent gentleman-scholar ethnographers and the mad scientism of the quantifiers and objectifiers.
2007 Times 6 Feb. 21/3 The old-school gentleman scholar Dr Lawrence Blair dives into largely unexplored waters off Borneo.
2018 Chicago Daily Herald (Nexis) 25 Apr. (HBG section) 1 [He] called Shultz a ‘true gentleman scholar, someone who is professional and personable to all’.
gentleman scientist n. now chiefly historical a financially independent man who studies science, typically without having a salaried attachment to a scientific body or institution.
ΚΠ
1895 St James's Gaz. 15 Aug. 2/4 (advt.) Most handsome, faultless, grey talking Parrot, with excellent Cage. Gentleman scientist shortly going from home will accept..30s.
1972 New Scientist 11 May 326/2 He has never regarded his science as..a private little intellectual game... ‘The days of the gentleman scientist are over; we're professionals, we're paid well,..and we are going to have to listen to the people who are paying our bills.’
2019 Western Daily Press (Nexis) 17 Dec. 21 The Somerset gentleman-scientist Andrew Crosse..panicked the locals with his experiments with electricity, giving rise to the legend that he inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
gentleman thief n. a man of high social status who engages in non-violent, financial crime (occurring esp. as a stock character in fiction, drama, etc.).
ΚΠ
1567 T. Harman Caueat for Commen Cursetors (new ed.) sig. Biiv With greate admiration this gentleman thiefe begane to bless hym.
1745 Proc. Old Bailey 4 Dec. 13/2 Brooks, speaking of the Prisoner at the Bar, said he was a Gentleman-Thief.
1899 Public Opinion 27 Apr. 538/2 The ‘gentleman thief’ is by no means new in fiction, but we have never had a better example than the Raffles of E. W. Hornung's ‘The Amateur Cracksman’.
2016 Tamworth Herald (Nexis) 22 Sept. Turpin was a far cry from the dashing and romantic gentleman thief often depicted in popular literature and ‘penny dreadfuls’.
C2. Compounds of the genitive.† gentleman's palsy n. humorous Obsolete the habitual shaking of a dice or a dice-box.
gentlemen's agreement n. (also gentleman's agreement) originally U.S. an arrangement or understanding which is based upon the trust of both or all parties, rather than being legally binding; cf. gentlemen's bargain n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > agreement > [noun] > an agreement
forewardOE
accordc1275
covenant1297
end1297
form1297
frettec1330
conjurationc1374
treatc1380
bargainc1386
contractc1386
comenaunt1389
compositionc1405
treaty1427
pact1429
paction1440
reconventionc1449
treatisea1464
hostage1470
packa1475
trystc1480
bond (also band) of manrent1482
covenance1484
concordance1490
patisement1529
capitulation1535
conventmenta1547
convenience1551
compact1555
negotiation1563
sacrament1563
match1569
consortship1592
after-agreementa1600
combourgeoisie1602
convention1603
comburghership1606
transaction1611
end-makingc1613
obligement1627
bare contract1641
stipulation1649
accompackmentc1650
rue-bargaina1657
concordat1683
minute1720
tacka1758
understanding1803
meet1804
it's a go1821
deal1863
whizz1869
stand-in1870
gentlemen's agreement1880
meeting of minds1883
1880 National Police Gaz. (U.S.) 27 Nov. 5/3 The probable and partly possible $15 to be made by fulfilling the gentlemen's agreement.
1918 P. G. Wodehouse in Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Feb. 41/2 A gentleman's agreement was made that no more theatres were to be built: and the three years that followed were the most prosperous known in America.
2008 Metro (Nexis) 13 Nov. (London ed.) 69 Taylor..warned two years ago the gentlemen's agreement that allows Scotland to compete separately could be challenged at any time.
gentlemen's bargain n. (also gentleman's bargain) originally U.S. (rare) an arrangement or understanding which is based upon the trust of both or all parties, rather than being legally binding; = gentlemen's agreement n.
ΚΠ
1930 N.Y. Times 2 Dec. 18/4 Owners who struck a gentleman's bargain with the workers on longer hours without the sanction of the Miners' Union.
1939 Scotsman 5 Apr. 17/2 We consider it to be at least a gentleman's bargain that a portion of that salary should be allocated for the supply of the pulpit which he has vacated.
gentleman's C n. (also gentlemen's C) U.S. (in contexts in which C is the lowest pass grade) an academic grade of C, as said to be (undeservedly) awarded to a student of high social status and low academic ambitions.
ΚΠ
1907 Educ. Rev. Apr. 386 The saying that ‘C is a gentleman's grade’ is evidently an imperfect defense for the idler in Harvard College.]
1922 C. Britten in H. E. Stearns Civilization in U.S. 127 He crams through a few febrile nights of cloistral deprivations and flagellations; and the sun shines again on his harvest of gentlemen's C's.
1952 L. W. Ferguson Personality Measurem. xv. 400 A person who decides that he is going ‘to make’ Phi Beta Kappa has a higher level of aspiration that the student who decides he is going to be satisfied with a gentleman's C average.
2015 States News Service (Nexis) 25 Nov. A gentleman's C isn't possible in a competency-based program that requires mastery of a topic.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > dice-playing > [noun] > shaking of box
gentleman's palsy1608
1608 Yorkshire Trag. sig. C2 To mae a man draw thrice three thousand acres into the compasse of a little round table, & with the gentlemans palsy in the hand shake out his posteritie, thieues or beggars.
1670 Life & Death of Ralph Wallis 14 The Brothers, might let a certain Tremulation, call'd the Gentlemans Palsie, seize upon their Elbows, and every one take his turn at Hazard.
Gentleman's Relish n. a savoury anchovy paste; = Patum Peperium n.The Gentleman's Relish is a proprietary name in the United Kingdom.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > additive > relish > [noun] > other relishes
anchovy paste1810
Patum Peperium1884
Gentleman's Relish1896
chrain1924
1896 Standard 22 Sept. 1/2 (advt.) The Gentleman's Relish. A novelty in potted meats.
1918 H. G. Wells Joan & Peter ix. 291 Perhaps a sandwich, Gentleman's Relish or shrimp paste.
2018 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 24 Mar. Some things are very nice on toast—avocados, say, or Gentleman's Relish.
Derivatives
ˈgentlemaning n. rare the action or fact of living without need to work; cf. sense 3a.
ΚΠ
1884 W. D. Howells Rise Silas Lapham ii, in Cent. Mag. Nov. 25/2 Yes; gentlemaning as a profession has got to play out in a generation or two.
1977 G. Milne Sense of Society iv. 82 His life, in its single-minded application to the paint business, has not permitted him any time for ‘gentlemaning’.
2013 Hippo 21 Nov. 61/4 He heads to London, rents a fancy apartment and..starts..gentlemaning.
ˈgentlemanism n. the quality or condition of being gentlemanly.
ΚΠ
1814 Belfast Monthly Mag. Apr. 280/1 He applied a shilling to the palm of my hand, and spoke something of George the third; and I was thus initiated into this step, degree, or whatever else you please to term it, of gentlemanism.
1898 G. B. Shaw in Sat. Rev. 29 Jan. 139/1 The dream-fed gentlemanism of the age which Shakespear inaugurated in English literature.
2014 Africa News (Nexis) 12 Aug. This brand of politics is averse to gentlemanism.
ˈgentlemaˌnize v. colloquial rare transitive to make (a man) into a gentleman.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > raising to noble rank > ennoble [verb (transitive)]
i-atheliea1000
ennoblish1483
nobilitate?c1500
ennoble1597
ennoblize1598
noblify1600
gentlemanize1784
1784 Town & Country Mag. Nov. 595/2 [He] had blacked his master's shoes in the afternoon, before he had undergone the process of being gentlemanized by his barber.
1826 Gentleman's Mag. June 521/2 He was a man who could have gentlemanized Johnson so as to please Chesterfield.
2005 Africa News (Nexis) 12 Sept. In this land where the workman copies the lower middle class, who copies the upper middle class, who imitates and takes its cue from the sovereign, everyone needs to gentlemanise himself.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2021; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
<
n.1222