07-10-2019, 06:44 PM
42
Re: Thread of Eternal Questions
Originally Posted by Floydy
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I am sometimes called a gentleman. Is there any reason we don't have such a thing as a 'gentlewoman'?
gentleman |ˈdʒɛnt(ə)lmən|
noun (pl. gentlemen)
1 a chivalrous, courteous, or honourable man: he behaved throughout like a perfect gentleman.
• a man of good social position, especially one of wealth and leisure.
• a man of noble birth attached to a royal household: a Gentleman of the Bedchamber.
2 a polite or formal way of referring to a man: opposite her an old gentleman sat reading | can I help you, gentlemen?
• used as a courteous title for a male fellow member of the House of Commons or the House of Representatives: the Right Honourable Gentleman opposite.
gentlewoman |ˈdʒɛnt(ə)lwʊmən|
noun (pl. gentlewomen) archaic
a woman of noble birth or good social standing.
07-10-2019, 09:52 PM
43
Re: Thread of Eternal Questions
Originally Posted by Baz46
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According to the dictionary Floydy we do have 'gentlewoman', the female equivalent of 'gentleman'. It would not appear to be used very much though as it's described as 'archaic'. See definitions of both below:gentleman |ˈdʒɛnt(ə)lmən|
noun (pl. gentlemen)
1 a chivalrous, courteous, or honourable man: he behaved throughout like a perfect gentleman.
• a man of good social position, especially one of wealth and leisure.
• a man of noble birth attached to a royal household: a Gentleman of the Bedchamber.
2 a polite or formal way of referring to a man: opposite her an old gentleman sat reading | can I help you, gentlemen?
• used as a courteous title for a male fellow member of the House of Commons or the House of Representatives: the Right Honourable Gentleman opposite.
gentlewoman |ˈdʒɛnt(ə)lwʊmən|
noun (pl. gentlewomen) archaic
a woman of noble birth or good social standing.
I reckon there are still some gentle women around somewhere?
08-10-2019, 05:13 AM
44
Re: Thread of Eternal Questions
Originally Posted by Longdogs
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What do Americans say?
Our mastery of the language boggles the mind.
When we look for something we lost, why do we keep looking in the same place?
08-10-2019, 06:52 AM
45
Re: Thread of Eternal Questions
Originally Posted by Floydy
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Interesting Baz, thanks. I didn't even know the word existed I reckon there are still some gentle women around somewhere?
There possibly are still some 'gentlewomen' around but I could not possibly comment, if you know what I mean. The description of 'archaic' as being rather ancient, might just give the game away. However, I am sure there are some gentle women (two words and in that sense) around though.
archaic |ɑːˈkeɪɪk|
adjective
very old or old-fashioned: prisons are run on archaic methods.
• (of a word or a style of language) no longer in everyday use but sometimes used to impart an old-fashioned flavour. a term with a rather archaic ring to it.
• of an early period of art or culture, especially the 7th–6th centuries bc in Greece: the archaic temple at Corinth.
ORIGIN
mid 19th cent.: from French archaïque, from Greek arkhaikos, from arkhaios, from arkhē ‘beginning’.
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