Gen"tle*man (?), n.;
pl. Gentlemen (#). [OE. gentilman nobleman; gentil noble + man man; cf. F.
gentilhomme.]
1. A
man well born; one of good family; one above the
condition of a yeoman.
2. One of
gentle or refined manners; a well- bred man.
3. (Her.) One who bears arms, but has no title.
4. The servant of a man of rank.
The count's
gentleman, one
Cesario.
Shak. 5. A man, irrespective of condition; -- used esp. in the plural (= citizens; people), in addressing men in popular assemblies, etc.
&fist; In Great Britain, the term gentleman is applied in a limited sense to those having coats of arms, but who
are without a title, and,
in this sense, gentlemen hold a middle rank
between the nobility and yeomanry. In a more extended sense, it includes every man above the rank of yeoman, comprehending the nobility. In the United States, the term is
applied to men of education and good breeding of every occupation.
Gentleman commoner, one of the highest class of commoners at the University of Oxford. -- Gentleman usher, one who ushers visitors into the presence of a
sovereign, etc. -- Gentleman usher of the black
rod, an usher belonging to the Order
of the Garter, whose chief duty is
to serve as
official messenger of the House
of Lords. -- Gentlemen-at-arms, a band of forty gentlemen who attend the sovereign on state occasions; formerly
called gentlemen pensioners. [Eng.]
Hear it pronounced