▪ I. gentle, a. and n.
(ˈdʒɛnt(ə)l)
Forms: 3–6 gentil(l, -yl, 3, 6–7 gentile, 4 jentel, 4–5 gentille, -yle, 4–6 gentel(l, jentil(l, jentylle, 4–7 gentyll, 5 gentylle, gyntyl, 6 jentle, 5– gentle.
[a. OF. gentil, jentil, etc. high-born, noble (mod.F. gentil elegant, genteel) = Pr. Sp. gentil, It. gentile:—L. gentīlis belonging to the same gens or race, f. genti-, gens race, family. The sense ‘belonging to a good family’ common to the Rom. tongues is not found in Latin. See also gentile.]
A. adj.
1. a. Of persons: Well-born, belonging to a family of position; originally used synonymously with noble, but afterwards distinguished from it, either as a wider term, or as designating a lower degree of rank. Also, in heraldic use: Having the rank or status of ‘gentleman’, the distinguishing mark of which is the right to bear arms. Obs. exc. in the archaic phrase gentle and simple, and in Comb. gentleman, gentlefolks, etc.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 166 Noble men and gentile ne bereð nout packes. a 1240 Wohunge in Cott. Hom. 273 Ah noble men and gentile and of heh burðe ofte winnen luue lihtliche cheape. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1180 Þe gentylest of Iudee in Ierusalem biseged. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) v. 39 The fairest and the nobleste of Birthe and the gentylleste Damyseles of his Contree. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 190/2 Gentyl, of awncetrye, ingenuus. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 148 a/2 Hyt apperteyneth not that one so gentyl a man as I am be seruant to hym. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xxii. 32 Quhen seruit is all vdir man, Gentill and semple of euery clan. 1581 G. Pettie Guazzo's Civ. Conv. ii. (1586) 90 b, Gentle of base are those who, extracted from low parentage, raise themselves to Gentrie by their vertue. a 1625 Fletcher Love's Pilg. ii. i, I am as gentle as your self, as free born. 1683 Evelyn Mem. (1857) II. 182, I dined at Mr. Houblon's, a rich and gentle French merchant. 1786 Burns Highland Lassie i, Nae gentle dames, tho' e'er sae fair, Shall ever be my muse's care: Their titles a' are empty show. |
absol. with plural sense.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1216 Þer watȝ þe kyng kaȝt..& alle hise gentyle for-iusted on ierico playnes. c 1420 Anturs of Arth. xxxix, So jolyly thes gentille justede one were! Schaftis thay shindr [v.r. scheuer], in sheldes so schene. 1837 Howitt Rur. Life i. i. (1862) 10 Making acquaintance with the dwellings, habits, and feelings of both gentle and simple. 1840 Barham Ingol. Leg., Hand of Glory 64 Gentle and Simple, Squire and Groom, Each one had sought his separate room. |
† b. An epithet applied to persons of distinction.
Obs. (Mainly in alliteration.)
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 159 James þe gentel bond hit [B. jugged, C. juggeth] in his Book. a 1400–50 Alexander 705 Loo! ȝonder þe gentill Iubiter, how lolyle he schynes. Ibid. 4022 And ȝit þe gentill genosophis, þam in þe gest callis. c 1440 York Myst. xxx. 58 As ye are gentill juger and justice of Jewes. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 1108 Of gentil Juda machabe. 1567 Satir. Poems Reform. iii. 27 In deidis he soulde haue bene lyke Deiphoebus..or gentill Julius. |
c. Of an animal: Of excellent breed or spirit; now only in
gentle (also gentil) falcon (
cf. falcon-gentle).
| 1340 Ayenb. 75 Hy uoryeteþ alle oþre guodes, ase deþ þe gentyl hond; huanne ha zyþ his praye touore his eȝen. c 1386 Chaucer Nun's Pr. T. 45 This gentil Cok hadde in his gouernaunce Seuene hennes. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xii. i (Tollem. MS.) Þe gentel ffawcon and oþer suche fowles. Ibid. xviii. xxxix. (1495) 800 In gentyll horse noble men takyth hede of foure thynges, of shape and of fayrnesse, of wylfulnesse, and of colour. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. iv. 799 Fed stalons faat goth now to gentyl maris. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 2033 [2133] The kyng of Nazareth huntid there Among the hertes, that gentill were. c 1470 Abraham & Isaac 368 in L. T. Smith Bk. of Brome (1886) 65, I haue browt here full smerte, Thys jentyll scheppe [the ram]. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxi. 13 With gentill horss quhen I wald knyp, Thane is thair laid on me ane quhip. 1523 Skelton Garl. Laurel 1436 A ientyll hownde shulde neuer play the kur. a 1547 Surrey in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 218 A Lion saw I late..Vpon the gentle beast to gaze it pleased me. 1612 Selden Notes to Drayton's Poly-olb. v. 82 The Falcon stout Which we the Gentill call. 1678 Ray Willughby's Ornith. 79 The frequent agitation of the Wings in flying shews the Hawk to be a Gentile Falcon. 1802 Bingley Anim. Biog. (1813) II. 55 The Gentil Falcon measures about two feet in length. 1833 R. Mudie Brit. Birds (1841) I. 86 The female is the gentil or gentil falcon. |
† d. Of things: Noble, excellent.
Obs. rare.
| 13.. E.E. Allit P. A. 1015 Þe twelfþe þe gentyleste in vch a plyt, Þe amatyst purpre. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1022 Þe ioye of sayn[t] Ionez day watz gentyle to here. c 1386 Chaucer Wife's Prol. 29 God bad vs for to wexe and multiplye; That gentil text kan I [wel] vnderstonde. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xix. 209 There growethe fulle gode Wyn, that men clepen Bigon, that is fulle myghty and gentylle in drynkynge. 1556 Aurelio & Isab. O ij, For the whiche [women] all gentill inventions and all goodes comes in to the worlde. |
e. Enchanted or haunted by fairies. Also
gentle people, the fairies. (
Cf. gentry 3 b.)
dial.| 1823 S. McSkimin Carrickfergus (ed. 2) iv. 258 The large hawthorns growing singly..are deemed sacred to fairies, and are hence called gentle thorns. 1877 Cornhill Mag. Feb. 174 Woe betide the foolhardy person who ventures to raise an axe against one of these ‘gentle bushes’, as they are called. Ibid. 178 All the land was of excellent quality except half an acre of rocky ground, which was ‘allowed’ to be a very ‘gentle place’. 1893 W. B. Yeats Celtic Twilight 94 In some more than commonly ‘gentle’ place. 1907 J. Masefield Tarpaulin Muster xiii. 136 There's many places here is gentle. 1913 E. M. Wright Rustic Speech xii. 207 Collective names [for Fairies] are: the Fair Folk..the Gentle People, or Gentry (Irel.). |
2. a. Of birth, blood, family, etc.: Honourable, distinguished by descent or position, belonging to the class of ‘gentlemen’. (
Cf. 1.)
| a 1300 Cursor M. 4250 Sir putifar wel vndirstod Þat ioseph was o gentil blod. 1340 Ayenb. 89 Hy ne lokeþ naȝt huer-of ham comþ þe zoþe noblesse, and þe gentil kenrede. c 1440 York Myst. xli. 435 For he is come of gentyll kynde. a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1840) III. 217 Who no doubt was..of gentle extraction, because her parents bestowed on her so liberal and costly education. 1808 Scott Autobiog. in Lockhart i, His birth being admitted as gentle, gave him access to the best society in the county. 1861 Tulloch Eng. Purit. I. i. 57 On his father's side Cromwell was of a gentle and old family. 1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirl. I. 6 The husband was known to be sprung of gentle blood. |
b. Of occupations or pursuits: Suitable for one of gentle birth.
the gentle craft (humorously):
† (
a) the trade of shoemaking (
obs.); (
b) with allusion to sense 8, the sport of angling; similarly
the gentle art, now often humorously used in transferred applications.
| a 1592 Greene George-a-Greene (1599) F 4 b, You shall be no more called Shoomakers. But you and yours to the worlds ende, Shall be called the trade of the gentle craft. 1592 Nashe P. Penilesse (ed. 2) 21 b, [If certain people walked instead of riding] the price of veluet and cloath would fall..and the gentle craft (alias the red herrings kinsmen) get more and drink lesse. 1600 Dekker Gent. Craft i. (1610) B 3, As I am a true shoomaker, and a gentleman of the Gentle Craft. 1658 W. Sanderson Graphice 28 If it be the generall Rule..that Children be taught some gentle Manu-facture [etc.]. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. 99/1 A Man on a Seat [a Shooe-maker]..exercising of the Gentle Craft. 1799 A. Mather in Life J. Bunting (1859) I. vii. 102 A profession [the medical] that will be gentle bread at some not very distant period. 1834 T. Medwin Angler in Wales I. 6 It would have made unquiet the ghost of old Isaac Walton to hear Julian's disparagement of ‘the gentle art’. 1844 J. T. J. Hewlett Parsons & W. i, One of the gentle craft—so called, I presume, from their using gentles in their art. 1850 Whittier Songs of Labor, Shoemakers i, Ho! workers of the old time styled The Gentle Craft of Leather. 1890 J. McN. Whistler (title) The Gentle Art of making Enemies. 1894 Crockett Raiders 54 All the seven big sons..were said to be deeper in the Gentle Traffic [smuggling], as it was called, than any others in the locality. |
3. a. Of persons: Having the character appropriate to one of good birth; noble, generous, courteous. Freq. in the phrase
a gentle knight. Now only
arch.| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 8689 Of vairost fourme & best maneres, & mest gentil and fre. Ibid. 11719 Sir henri is sone þat so gentil kniȝt was. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 188 Gentille of norture, & noble of lynage. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 72. c 1440 Generydes 3 Ther was a kyng, Ientill, curteys, full trew in worde. 1463 Bury Wills (Camden) 18 They [tenants] haue be to me ryght gentil and good at alle tymes. 1529 More Dyaloge i. Wks. 170/2 Sithe I am so gentle to graunt you so many thinges, I trust ye wyl grant me this one. 1563 Mirr. Mag., Blacksmith xv, His wanton wyl and lust that brydel can In dede is gentil both to God and man. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. i. 1 A gentle knight was pricking on the plaine. a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1840) II. 575 [Robin Hood] The gentlest thief that ever was. 1814 Southey Roderick iii, With such short interchange of benison As each to other gentle travellers give. 1871 Browning Balaust. 2377 The son of Zeus, He was the gentle guest to entertain! |
b. Used in polite or ingratiating address, or as a complimentary epithet.
Obs. exc. as a playful archaism in ‘Gentle Reader’.
| 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xiii. 78 Keip this all secreit, gentill brother. 1542–5 Brinklow Lament. (1874) 84 Iudge thow gentle reader. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. i. ii. 14 What think'st thou of the gentle Protheus. 1601 ― Jul. C. iii. ii. 77 You gentle Romans. 1615 Crooke Body of Man 428 That would be irkesome to vs both Gentle Reader. 1687 Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. ii, Gentle Reader, Ami-Lecteur. 1844 Haliburton Attaché Ser. ii. II. 285 Gentle reader, having taken my leave of Mr. Slick, it is now fit I should take my leave of you. |
† c. Of language, actions, character, etc.: Courteous, polite. (Often closely approaching sense 8.)
| c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1090 Dido, And manye a gentil word sche spake hym to. c 1440 Agnes Paston in P. Lett. No. 25 I. 39 She made hym gentil cher in gyntyl wise. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 142 Than yf we be touched with a sharpe worde, we shal yelde a benigne & gentyll answere. 1561 T. Norton Calvin's Inst. i. 37 They which geue gentill and open eares to the word of God. 1598 Yong Diana 122 She gaue him infinite thankes..for the gentle entertainment she had in his Castle. 1646 F. Hawkins Youth's Behav. (1663) 13 And be thou assured that gentle affability towards thy inferiours, will fix to thy name the Epithite of courteous. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. iv. 9 This man with very gentle words gave an end to the sedition..which shews of what power courtesie is. |
4. a. Of fruit, a tree, etc.: Cultivated, domesticated (opposed to
wild). Now
rare. (?
arch.)
| c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 711 A gentil tre, Not wilde at all, withoute asperite. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems, Chorle & Bird (Percy Soc.) 192 The vintere tretethe of his holsom wynes, Of gentille frute bostethe the gardener. 1601 Holland Pliny II. 429 The berries..much like..to the grains or fruit of the gentle garden Corneil tree. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iv. 93 We marry A gentler sien to the wildest stock. 1871 Jowett Plato II. 431 Tending the gentle shoots, and preventing the wild ones from growing. |
b. Of an animal: Tame, quiet, easily managed.
| 1532 G. Hervet Xenophon's Househ. (1768) 60 We call al these beastis gentyll, the whiche be goodly, great, and profitable, and be not fierse, but tame among men. 1562 Leigh Armorie 178 A Barnacle..This is y⊇ Chiefest Instrument y{supt} the Smyth hath, to make the vntamed Horse gentile. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, v. iii. 22 Those that tame wild Horses Pace 'em not in their hands to make 'em gentle. 1687 Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. ii, A gentle Horse (a Horse that gives exact Obedience to the Rider), un Cheval loyal. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) II. 330 They are gentle and harmless enough while young; but as they grow up, they acquire their natural ferocity. |
† 5. Not harsh or irritating to the touch; soft, tender; yielding to pressure, pliant, supple.
Obs.| 1555 W. Watreman Fardle Facions ii. ii. 120 Their garmentes..are verye softe and gentle clothe. 1578 Lyte Dodoens iii. xciii. 448 These small pottes [of henbane] do growe and are inclosed in a rounde skinne, but the same is gentle and pricketh not. 1597 A. M. tr. Guillemeau's Fr. Chirurg. 14 b/1 Nether must shee [needle] be of to hard a steele, but of gentle steele, because they might rather bende then break. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 239 Another charge of a Horse-keeper is to keep his Horses lips soft, tender, and gentle, so as he may more sensibly feel his bit. 1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden cxli. 212 (Camomile) White flowers with yellow thrums in the middle, very like unto Feather-few, but more soft and gentle in handling. 1697 W. Derham in Phil. Trans. XX. Enclose the Mercury with gentle Leather tied very fast round the Tube. 1756 Phil. Trans. XLIX. 847 The English soft or gentle Thistle. 1769 Sir J. Hill Herb. Brit. I. 80 Gentle thistle. |
6. a. Of the weather, wind, etc.: Not stormy, violent, or severe.
gentle gale (see
quot. 1867).
| 1563 Fulke Meteors (1640) 18 b, Kinde of winde, which is but a soft gentle and coole moving of the ayre, and commeth from no certaine place. 1585 J. B. tr. Viret's Sch. Beastes D vj b, And the great rivers..give a sweete and gentle temperatenes and most pleasaunt to the fishes. 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 189 Ile sigh celestiall breath, whose gentle winde Shall coole the heate of this descending sun. 1600 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa i. 35 Those seas are..most pleasant..to saile upon, with faire and gentle weather. 1634 Sir. T. Herbert Trav. 2 We had verie raging Seas and tempests, but at night a gentle calme ensued. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 380 Soft Whispers then..are heard, As when the Woods by gentle Winds are stirr'd. 1781 Cowper Truth 419 Complacency has breathed a gentle gale O'er all his thoughts, and swelled his easy sail. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. ix, Sleep, gentle heavens, before the prow; Sleep, gentle winds, as he sleeps now. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Gentle gale, in which a ship carries royals and flying-kites; force 4. |
b. Of a river: Flowing smoothly; not rough or rapid.
| 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 1118 Deepe woes roll forward like a gentle flood. 1638 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (ed. 2) 219 It is watered by Tigris..somewhat broader than the Thames, but not so navigable nor gentle. 1739 C. Labelye Short Acc. Piers Westm. Bridge 63 The Stream..would be gentler..than the Stream of the River Seine. 1791 W. Jessop Rep. Riv. Witham 5 Being penned up by Locks, its velocity would be greatly decreased, and it would almost become a gentle River. 1891 E. Peacock N. Brendon I. 273 The Skern was changed from a gentle stream to a raging torrent. |
c. Of sound: Soft, low; not loud or harsh.
| 1605 Shakes. Lear v. iii. 273 Her voice was euer soft, Gentle and low, an excellent thing in woman. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 80 ¶5, I heard a very gentle Knock at my Door. 1742 Collins Ecl., Hassan 42 The gentle voice of Peace. 1781 Cowper Conversat. 905 In gentle sounds it seems as it complained Of the rude injuries it late sustained. 1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms ii. 407 And gives to the storm as gentle notes As e'er through sunshine stole. |
d. Of a medicine: Acting without violence; mild.
| 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 289, I would therfore, that a stronger remedie be prepared: for this emplaster is too gentle. 1790 J. B. Moreton Mann. W. Ind. 25 If you find yourself costive, take a gentle purge. 1835 Cycl. Pract. Med. IV. 587/2 By mild and frequently repeated doses of gentle aperients. |
e. Of rule, punishment, etc.: Free from violence or severity; mild.
| 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. ii. §98 The Papists..being upon the matter absolved from the severest parts of the law and dispensed with for the gentlest. 1696 Tate & Brady Ps. lxxii. 4 Shall rule with gentle Sway. 1751 Jortin Serm. (1771) IV. i. 4 Especially where the legal punishment was gentle. 1752 Hume Ess. & Treat. (1777) I. 21 In every respect, a gentle government is preferable. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth xiii, If gentler methods will succeed better with these Earish knaves, do not blame Douglas for speaking his mind. 1879 O. W. Holmes Motley xxi. 158 This gentle form of violence is well understood in diplomatic service. |
7. a. Moderate in operation, intensity, rate, or the like;
esp. a gentle heat.
| 1626 Bacon Sylva §399 The Sunne, which is a Gentler Heat [sc. than Fire]. 1632 Lithgow Trav. i. 14, I found abundance of all things..at so easie and gentle a rate, that [etc.]. 1687 Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. ii, A gentle Fit of an Ague, acces de Fiévre moderé. 1699 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (ed. 9) 138 Closing the Double-shuts, (or Chasses rather) continue a gentle Heat. 1758 Reid tr. Macquer's Chym. I. 138 Liquors..evaporated by a gentle heat..are called Extracts. 1816 Accum Chem. Tests (1818) 70 The paper regains its original colour..by exposure to a gentle heat. 1840 Dickens Barn. Rudge ii, Ride forward at a gentler pace, and good night. |
b. Of a slope: Very gradual; not steep.
| 1697 W. Dampier Voy. I. 187 On the North side it declines with a gentle descent to the Sea. 1777 Watson Philip II (1839) 467 He pitched his camp in a spacious plain, which is terminated by two hills of a gentle ascent. 1851 Dixon W. Penn xxxii. (1872) 302 The house itself stood on a gentle eminence. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xviii. 124 A gentle snow⁓slope brought us to the base of a precipice. |
8. Of persons: Mild in disposition or behaviour; kind, tender. Also of language, actions, etc. Freq. in
phr. a gentle hint.
the gentle(r) sex: the female sex.
| 1552 Huloet, s.v., To waxe Gentle, exeuio, mansuesco. 1583 Stubbs Anat. Abuses E vij b, Yet (such is y⊇ magnificency & liberalitie of that gentle sex) that I trust I shall not be vnrewarded at their hands. 1725 Pope Odyss. xx. 388 A long cessation of discourse ensued, By gentler Agelaus thus renewed. 1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms ii. 307 But to yon gentle Maiden turn, Who never for herself doth mourn. 1839–40 W. Irving Wolfert's R. (1855) 83 It is somewhat remarkable that..the gentler sex should have been most frequently the subjects of these rude trials. 1870 Rogers Hist. Gleanings Ser. ii. 42 Princes are seldom gentle when crossed. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 226 You have grown gentle towards me and have left off scolding. 1896 J. C. Harris Sister Jane 32 Taking this as a gentle hint, I went out. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 354 She just gave a gentle hint about its being late. |
9. Used
advb. = gently (
esp. in
compar.).
| 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. i. ii. 231 Hee put it by thrice, euerie time gentler then other. a 1611 Beaum. & Fl. Philaster iv. iv, Lay me gentle on his neck. 1671 Milton Samson 788 Men may censure thine The gentler, if severely thou exact not More strength from me, than in thyself was found. 1844 Mrs. Browning Drama of Exile Poems 1850 I. 19 He [God] Did roll His thunder gentler at the close. |
10. Comb. (chiefly parasynthetic and adverbial), as
gentle-born,
gentle-breathing,
gentle-eyed,
gentle-gliding,
gentle-handed,
gentle-hearted,
gentle-licking,
gentle-looking,
gentle-mannered,
gentle-minded,
gentle-natured,
gentle-sleeping,
gentle-voiced ppl. adjs.| c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 2090 Ariadne, Syn that ye ben as *gentil born as I. 1725 Ramsay Gentle Sheph. v. ii, It's no my fau't that I'm nae gentler born. 1859 Tennyson Elaine 762 The gentler-born the maiden, the more bound..to be sweet and serviceable. |
| 1600 Fairfax Tasso xv. ix. 6 A *gentle breathing aire made eu'n and plaine The azure face of heau'ns smooth looking glass. |
| 1830 Scott Auchindrane i. ii, A young man, gentle-voiced and *gentle-eyed. |
| 1612 Drayton Poly-olb. To Rdr., Delicate embrodered Meadowes often veined with *gentle gliding Brooks. |
| 1863 I. Williams Baptistery ii. xxxii. (1874) 189 With *gentle-handed charities. |
| 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, i. iv. 176 And heere's to right our *gentle-hearted King. 1869 Trollope He Knew, etc. xiii. (1878) 71 She was very gentle-hearted in regard to the fishes. |
| 1648 Herrick Hesper., To Musique to becalme his Fever, Thou sweetly canst convert the same From a consuming fire, Into a *gentle-licking flame. |
| 1612 Drayton Poly-olb. v. 294 The swelling surge, that with his fomie head, The *gentler looking Land with furie menaced. 1876 Geo. Eliot in Life (1885) III. 276 A gentle-looking, clear-eyed, neatly made man. |
| 1824 Miss Mitford Village Ser. i. (1863) 187 But he managed every body, as your *gentle-mannered person is apt to do. |
| 1795 W. Seward Anecd. II. 227 This beautiful and *gentle-minded woman. |
| 1579–80 North Plutarch (1676) 45 He was a *gentle-natured man, and one that loved quietness and peace. |
| 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, i. iii. 288, I will not thinke but they ascend the sky, And there awake Gods *gentle sleeping peace. 1830 *Gentle-voiced [see gentle-eyed above]. |
B. n. 1. One who is of gentle birth or rank.
a. rare in
sing.| c 1400 Destr. Troy 128 Eson..Hade a son..And Iason þat gentill aioynet was to name. Ibid. 437 This gentill [Medea] by Iason ioinet was to sit. 1576 Gascoigne Steele Gl. (Arb.) 67 Art thou a Gentle? liue with gentle friendes. a 1603 Breton in Farr S.P. Eliz. (1845) I. 178 Constancie, A worthie budde..Which every gentle certeinlie Delightes to chuse of. 1604 Rowlands Looke to it 16 You that are sonne to him that held the Plow, Transform'd by Gold, into a Gentle now. 1826 Disraeli Viv. Grey v. iii, There is a gentle's voice under a dark cloak. a 1845 Hood Bianca's Dr. iii, Ladies seldom vex An amorous gentle with a needless frown. |
b. in
pl. Obs. exc. arch., or as a comic vulgarism for gentlefolks.
| c 1386 Chaucer Pard. Prol. 37 And right anon the gentils gonne to crye, Nay, lat hym telle vs of no ribaudye. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxvi. 123 Þe gentils hase schorte swerdez scharpe on þe ta syde. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vii. ccxxx. 261 But the gentyllys and commonnis, herynge of this mooste shamefull murder, assembled them togyder. 1557 Tusser 100 Points Husb. xvii, When gentiles vse walking, with hawkes on their handes, Good husbandes, with grasing doe purchase their landes. 1598 Barret Theor. Warres v. ii. 141 Men of qualitie & Gentles of good birth. 1641 Brome Joviall Crew v. (1652) N 4 b, To Knight, to Squire, and to the Gentiles here, We wish our Play may with content appear. 1788 F. Burney Diary 16 Aug., All Cheltenham was drawn out into the High-street, the gentles on one side and the commons on the other. 1816 Scott Old Mort. xxxv, What made them send for a puir body like me, sae mony braw lords and gentles? 1868 Geo. Eliot Sp. Gipsy i. 41 Tis very hard When gentles sing for nought to all the town. 1882 Mrs. Raven's Tempt. III. 8 The simples are not bound to pick up what the gentles throw away. |
† c. Used in polite address.
Obs.| c 1590 Greene Fr. Bacon x. 16 Now, courteous Gentles, if the Keepers girle Hath pleas'd the liking fancy of you both [etc.]. 1591 Troub. Raigne K. John, To Gentlem. Rdrs. (1611) 70 Gentles, we left King John repleate with blisse. 1599 B. Jonson Ev. Man out of Hum. (1600) Prol., Gentles, all I can say for him is, you are welcome. 1638 Cowley Love's Riddle v, It's no matter for that; farewell gentles. 1641 Marmion Antiq. iii. F 4 a, Gentles I would entreat you a courtesie. |
d. Comb.| c 1550 Robin Consc. 101 in Hazl. E.P.P. III. 233 Bvt this shalbe only my preparation, To liue and goe gentle⁓like, gallant and gay. |
2. = falcon-gentle.
| 1776 Pennant Zool. I. 152 The gentil and the goshawk are found in Scotland. 1833 [see gentle a. 1 c]. |
3. A maggot, the larva of the flesh-fly or bluebottle, employed as bait by anglers. (
Cf. A. 5.)
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens vi. lxviii. 746 A white worme lyke a gentill. 1594 Plat Jewell-ho. iii. 12 White and glib worms, which the anglers call Gentils. 1688 R. Holme Armoury ii. 193/1 The Cloudy, or Blackish Fly..proceed from Maggots, or Gentills, that breed of Putrified Flesh. 1741 Compl. Fam.-Piece ii. ii. 336 Gentles are a very good Bait. 1851 D. Jerrold St. Giles xxiv. 251 As alive and wriggling as an angler's box of gentles. 1894 Blackw. Mag. Sept. 426/2 A gentle is placed on the hook. |
▪ II. gentle, v. (
ˈdʒɛnt(ə)l)
[f. prec.] † 1. trans. To ennoble, dignify.
Obs. rare.
| 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love ii. viii. (Skeat) I. 100 Better is it thy kinne to been by the genteled, then thou to gloryfye of thy kinnes gentillesse, and hast no desert therof thy selfe. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, iv. iii. 63 Be he ne're so vile, This day shall gentle his Condition. 1630 J. Taylor (Water P.) Wks. iii. 12/1 And all this raking toyle..Is for his clownish..heyre, Who must be gentled by his ill got pelfe. |
2. a. To render gentle, mild, or pleasant.
| 1651 Raleigh's Ghost 307 The consideration of the reward..doth so temper and gentle the bitterness thereof, as that it maketh it to seem sweet and to be desired. 1883 R. Broughton Belinda II. iii. i. 174 A smile..sweetening and gentling the now habitual sullenness of her face. 1908 Daily Chron. 3 Feb. 3/3 Tragic circumstances that are put with all the vigour of a strong hand, yet gentled by a beautiful thread of love. 1936 ‘R. Hyde’ Passport to Hell 23 Horse-dung trodden into the mire and yet gentled with the smell of warm straw. 1958 Engineering 28 Feb. 258/1 Whether a few rounds in the ring did in fact gentle his condition I was never able to discover. |
b. To tame, break in, render tractable.
| 1735 R. Lee in Virginia Hist. Mag. III. 356 Y'r colts have not been gentled any, so that Charles can't lead them up. 1862 A. K. H. Boyd Recreat. Country Parson 72 A long course of kindness has gentled you [a horse] as well as Mr. Rarey could have done. 1887 Mrs. C. Reade Maid o' the Mill II. xxxix. 311 He has had much to do, a colt to gentle, and some ewes to doctor. 1894 Harper's Mag. Feb. 354, I strolled out to the corrals to see the bulls ‘gentled’. |
| fig. 1888 R. Kipling Plain Tales from Hills (1891) 289 A Viceroy who knew how to ‘gentle’ a fractious big man. |
c. To soften, mollify (a person).
rare.
| 1795 tr. Moritz' Trav. Eng. (Nat. Libr.) 142, I endeavoured to gentle him a little by asking for a mug of ale and once or twice drinking to him. 1847 Bushnell Chr. Nurt. vii. (1861) 173 They will all be gentled together by the tender brotherhood of the little ones. |
3. intr. To become gentle.
rare.
| 1912 J. Masefield in Eng. Rev. Oct. 388 When the light gentles and the wind is soft. 1953 V. Buchanan-Gould Vast Heritage i. 2 For a short time..the African world gentled to soft femineity. |
Hence
ˈgentling vbl. n. and ppl. a.| 1883 M. E. Braddon Gold. Calf xix. 211 She was wild and wilful, and wanted more gentling before she was brought to the lure. 1906 Westm. Gaz. 10 Sept. 2/3 Above the vale, with its gentling tale Of a life that is lived for right. 1952 E. Hyams Soil & Civilization 167 The gentling influence of the Atlantic allows deciduous trees to grow farther north. 1966 New Statesman 4 Feb. 172/2 Within his gentling limits, Mr Sucksdorff seems authentic. |