EuroLex/E/Gentlemen's agreement

  • Original language: English
  • Original form and meaning: 'an agreement binding in honour'


(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 gentlemen's agreement [= Engl. pron.] mid20c meaning: see above; status: restricted to technical use, less frequent than translation džentlemenski sporazum dito DEA*
Czech ... ... '...' '...' ...
Danish ... ... '...' '...' ...
Dutch gentlemen's agreement [= Engl. pron.] 1940s meaning: see above; status: fully accepted but still marked as English, less frequent than translation herenakkoord dito DEA*
English gentleman's agreement/gentlemen's agreement first attested 1929 see above dito Collins English Dictionary (4th ed.); Etymonline [1]
Estonian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Finnish not known; native equivalent: herrasmiessopimus - - - DEA*
French gentleman's/gentlemen's agreement [= Engl. pron.] mid20c meaning: see above; status: restricted to journalese dito DEA*
Frisian ... ... '...' '...' ...
German gentlemen's agreement [= Engl. pron.] 1940s meaning: see above; status: restricted to colloquial use dito DEA*
Hungarian gentlemen's agreement [= Engl. pron.] mid20c meaning: see above; status: restricted to journalese dito DEA*
Irish ... ... '...' '...' ...
Italian gentlemen's agreement [= Engl. pron.] 1930s meaning: see above; status: restricted to literary use dito DEA*
Latvian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Lithuanian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Maltese ... ... '...' '...' ...
Norwegian gentlemen's agreement [= Engl. pron.] 1960s meaning: see above; status: restricted use, equally frequent as translation gentleman(s)avtale dito DEA*
Polish gentlemen's agreement [= Engl. pron.] mid20c meaning: see above; status: restricted to technical use dito DEA*
Portuguese ... ... '...' '...' ...
Rumantsch ... ... '...' '...' ...
Slovak ... ... '...' '...' ...
Slovenian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Spanish gentlemen's/gentleman's agreement [= Engl. pron.] 1930s meaning: see above; status: rare, restricted to technical use dito DEA*
Swedish ... ... '...' '...' ...
  • Annotations: *DEA = Dictionary of European Anglicisms by Manfred Görlach (2001), Oxford: OUP.
  • Information on Other Languages: Icelandic: gentlemen's agreement [= Engl. pron.]; end20c; known mainly to biliguals, less frequent than translation heiðursmannasamkomulag; Russian: known mainly to bilinguals, less frequent than translation dzhentl'menskoe soglashenie; Bulgarian: not known; native equivalent: translation džhentŭlmensko sporazumenie; Greek: not known; native equivalent: translation symfonia kyrion; Romanian: gentlemen's agreement [= Engl. pron.]; 1970s; meaning: see above; status: restricted to journalese.,