EuroLex/E/Gentleman

  • Original language: English
  • Original form and meaning: gentleman, 1.) 'a man of refined behaviour', 2.) 'a man of good social position' (DEA*)


(Note: If the status is not specifically indicated then the word is stylistically neutral and generally used; if earlier meaning and status equals current use the former may be expressed by writing "dito". Cf. also the project guidelines.)


Language Form Date of Borrowing (and Obsolescence) Current Meaning and Status Earlier Meanings and Statusses Source
Catalan ... ... '...' '...' ...
Croatian gentleman mid20c meaning 1; status: fully accepted but still marked as English DEA*
Czech ... ... '...' '...' ...
Danish ... ... '...' '...' ...
Dutch gentleman [= Engl. pron.] 20c meaning 1; status: fully accepted but still marked as English DEA*
English gentleman 13c; gentle-: 'well-born, noble, generous', from Old French, 13c, gentil 'high-born, noble' (in Modern French 'pleasant, kind, agreeable' see above 'a man of gentle birth, who is entitled to bear arms, ranking above a yeoman in social position'; a euphemistic word for 'smuggler' Collins English Dictionary (4th ed.); CODEE**
Estonian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Finnish gentlemanni [g-] 20c meaning 1; status: restricted use DEA*
French gentleman 17c meaning 1; status: restricted use, equally frequent as creation herrasmies DEA*
Frisian ... ... '...' '...' ...
German Gentleman [= Engl. pron.] 18c meaning 1; status: restricted to colloquial use DEA*
Hungarian gentleman/dzsentlemen [= Engl. pron.] end18/beg19c meaning 1; status: fully accepted but still marked as English DEA*
Irish ... ... '...' '...' ...
Italian gentleman 18c meaning 1; status: fully accepted but still marked as English, less frequent than translation gentiluomo DEA*
Latvian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Lithuanian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Maltese ... ... '...' '...' ...
Norwegian gentleman/-mann [= Engl. pron./-man] mid19c meaning 1; status: fully accepted but still marked as English DEA*
Polish dzentelmen/gentleman mid19c meaning 1; status: fully accepted but still marked as English DEA*
Portuguese ... ... '...' '...' ...
Rumantsch ... ... '...' '...' ...
Slovak ... ... '...' '...' ...
Slovenian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Spanish gentleman [jentelman] mid19c meaning 1; status: fully accepted but still marked as English DEA*
Swedish ... ... '...' '...' ...
  • Annotations: *DEA = Dictionary of European Anglicisms by Manfred Görlach (2001), Oxford: OUP.; CODEE** = The Concise Oxford English Dictionary by T.F. Hoad (1986), Oxford: Clarendon.
  • Information on Other Languages: Icelandic: gentil-/gentlemaður; mid17c; meaning 1 and 2; status: restricted use: archaic;/ séntilmaður; end19c; meaning 2; status: fully accepted but still marked as English. Romanian: gentleman [= Engl. pron.]; mid19c; meaning 1; status: fully accepted but still marked as English. Russian: dzhentl'men; 18c; meaning 1; status: fully accepted but still marked as English. Bulgarian: dzhentlemen/dzhentŭlmen; end19c; meaning 1; status: restricted use: archaic/fully accepted but still marked as English. Albanian: xhentëlmen; mid20c; meaning 1; status: fully accepted but still marked as English. Greek: tzedleman; 20c; meaning 1; status: fully accepted but still marked as English, restricted to colloquial use, equally frequent as kirios.,