Where does “gentile” come from?

gentile (Italian) comes 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.

gentile (Italian): kind, courteous; gentle; lovely

Definitions

  1. kind, courteous; gentle; lovely

Ancestry of “gentile”, step by step

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

Words derived from “gentile”

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