gentleman

noun

1. Any well-bred, well-mannered, or charming man.

   “I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields, in no very mild state of fear of that gentleman's wife, whose vigilance was seldom relaxed.”

   “As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish,[…]. My servant is, so far as I am concerned, welcome to as many votes as he can get.[…]I do not suppose that it matters much in reality whether laws are made by dukes or cornerboys, but I like, as far as possible, to associate with gentlemen in private life.”

   “She wanted to go see a movie called Gigi, which I was not too thrilled about. But being a gentleman, I bit my tongue and said, “Okay.””

2. (broadly, polite, term-of-address)Any man.

   “Please escort this gentleman to the gentlemen's room.”

3. (historical)A man of gentle but not noble birth, particularly a man of means (originally ownership of property) who does not work for a living but has no official status in a peerage; (UK law) an armigerous man ranking below a knight.

   “Being a gentleman, Robert was entitled to shove other commoners into the gongpit but he still had to jump out of the way of the knights to avoid the same fate himself.”

   “And when their ſcattered armie is ſubdu’d: And you march on their ſlaughtered carkaſſes, Share equally the gold that bought their liues, And liue like Gentlmen in Perſea, […]”

   “But when Adam delued, and Eue ſpan, VVho was then a Gentleman?”

   ““[…] This is Mr. Churchill, who, as you are aware, is good enough to come to us for his diaconate, and, as we hope, for much longer; and being a gentleman of independent means, he declines to take any payment.” Saying this Walden rubbed his hands together and smiled contentedly.”

4. (derogatory)An effeminate or oversophisticated man.

   “Well, la-di-da, aren't you just a proper gentleman?”

5. (derogatory, historical, sometimes, usually)An amateur or dabbler in any field, particularly those of independent means.

   “Latrobe had extensive dealings with Jefferson, the most prominent gentleman-architect in the United States.”

6. An amateur player, particularly one whose wealth permits him to forego payment.

name

1. A surname transferred from the nickname.