Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “gentil” come from?

gentil (French) comes from Old French gentil, from Latin gentīlis, from Latin -ilis, from Proto-Italic -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

gentil (French): helpful, kind; pleasant, amiable, nice;...

Definitions

  1. helpful, kind; pleasant, amiable, nice;...

Ancestry of “gentil”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchgentilnoble; courteous; courtly
2Latingentīlis—
3Latin-ilis-ile
4Proto-Italic-elis—
5Proto-Indo-European-elis—
6Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “gentil”

  • Gentile
  • genteel
  • gentile
  • genteelly
  • ungenteel
  • genteelness
  • genty
  • ungenteelly
  • genteelism
  • genteelish
  • gentilise
  • gentilize
  • gentilish
  • antigentile
  • genteelize
  • ultragenteel
  • gentillâtre
  • gentillesse
  • gentiment
  • gentillet
  • gentilhommière
  • gentilhomme
  • gentil
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →