Where does “gentil” come from?
gentil (Middle English) 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 (Middle English): courteous, noble
Ancestry of “gentil”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | gentil | noble; courteous; courtly |
| 2 | Latin | gentīlis | — |
| 3 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
Words derived from “gentil”