gentle

/ˈdʒɛntl̩/noun

A person born into a noble or upper-class family.

Example sentences

“In medieval times, gentles and commoners sat in separate parts of the church.”
“The feast was attended by every gentle in the county.”

This noble-birth sense survives only in fossils like 'gentleman', 'gentlefolk', and 'of gentle birth'. The everyday adjective meaning soft or kind took over long ago.

Related words

genuineComing from the true or original source; real and not fake.genteelOverly polite and refined in manner, often in a way that seems artificial or old-fashioned.geographyThe subject that studies the earth's surface, its features, and how people interact with them.genialWarm, friendly, and pleasant in manner.geometryThe area of mathematics concerned with shapes, sizes, and the relationships between points, lines, and surfaces.generousHappy to give freely, especially money or help, and often more than expected.