English
gentilly
Gentilly comes from Middle English gentilly ‘like a member of the gentry: in the manner of…’, and goes back to gentil.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gentil
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500gentilly‘like a member of the gentry: in the manner of someone of gentle birth’
- Englishtodaysame form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gentil
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500gentilly‘like a member of the gentry: in the manner of someone of gentle birth’
- Englishtodaysame form
Formed from gentle + -ly
Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce, to beget, to give birth’
…
Latin gens ‘[Roman] clan’
Latin gentilis ‘of the same family or clan’
Old French gentil ‘high-born, noble’
Middle English gentil ‘courteous, noble’
English gentle
Linked words
through Middle English gentil
through Middle English gentilly ‘like a member of the gentry: in the manner of…’
Today it means
adv —
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English gentil / gentilly