Where does “gentry” come from?

Gentry comes from Old French genterise, derived from Old French gentelise, which developed from Old French gentil meaning "of noble birth," from Latin gentilis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- meaning "to beget" or "produce."

gentry (English): Birth; condition; rank by birth; Courtesy;...

Definitions

  1. Birth; condition; rank by birth; Courtesy;...

Ancestry of “gentry”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchgenterise—
2Old Frenchgentilnoble; courteous; courtly
3Latingentīlisof or belonging to the same family or gēns: kinsman
4Latin-ilis-ile
5Proto-Italic-elis—
6Proto-Indo-European-elis—
7Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “gentry”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →Every word from Latin -ilis →Every word from Latin gentīlis →