Where does “gentlemen” come from?
gentlemen (English) comes from English gentlemen's, from English gentlemen's room, from English waiting room, from English waiting, from English wait, from Middle English waiten, from Anglo-Norman waiter, from Frankish wahtwēn — lively, awake; strong.
gentlemen (English): plural of gentleman; Alternative form of...
Definitions
- plural of gentleman; Alternative form of...
Ancestry of “gentlemen”, step by step
gentlemen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English gentlemen's
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gentlemen's | possessive case of gentlemen: belonging to some... |
| 2 | English | gentlemen's room | Any room intended for use by men, "particularly:" |
| 3 | English | waiting room | A room in some public place for people to wait |
| 4 | English | waiting | present participle of wait; Watching; The act of... |
| 5 | English | wait | To delay movement or action until the arrival or... |
| 6 | Middle English | waiten | to look at, behold |
| 7 | Anglo-Norman | waiter | — |
| 8 | Frankish | wahtwēn | to guard, protect; to keep watch |
| 9 | Frankish | wahtu | watch, guard; watch, guard duty, watchtower;... |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | wahtwō | watch, vigil |
| 11 | Proto-Germanic | wakaną | to wake, be awake, arise |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵ- | lively, awake; strong |
via English gentleman
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gentleman | A man of gentle but not noble birth,... |
| 2 | Middle English | gentilman | gentleman |
| 3 | Middle English | man | Typically singular, indefinite pronoun: one, you;... |
| 4 | Old English | mān | bad, criminal, false; shameful act; crime;... |
| 5 | Sanskrit | महादेव | the "great God" |
| 6 | Sanskrit | महा | combining form of महत्; buffalo; great, large,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | maźʰā́ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | maȷ́ʰā́ | big, great |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |