gent1
/dʒɛnt
/noun informal
1A gentleman.Blanche believes her polite and witty new man is the perfect gent - until he tries to chat up Tracy....
- One customer, an elderly gent took to popping in regularly.
- One of the main characters was an elderly gent dressed up as a drummer in Napoleon Bonaparte's army.
1.1 (gents) British (In shop titles) men’s: a gents hairdressing shop...
- Hatto, who has gents' hairdressing salons in several villages, started building up his chain of shops when he was 21.
- The traditional gents barber was the victim of a practical joke by his friends working at the sign shop, across the road, where he had ordered the board.
- He's outside the gents hair salon that I always misread as saloon.
1.2 (the gents) British A men’s public toilet.I have been told that there are no urinals in the gents....
- A trip to the Ladies and the Gents also involves a walk up steps - which, as well as making the toilets difficult to service, also means there is no disabled access.
- So revolted was I by this crime against the culinary arts, I immediately dashed to the gents</em.
Origin
Mid 16th century: originally a standard written abbreviation; a colloquial usage since the early 19th century.
Rhymes
Gent2
/xɛnt/ Flemish name for Ghent.