Gentlewoman

For the film by Robert Bresson, see A Gentle Woman.
For the women's magazine, see The Gentlewoman.

A gentlewoman (from the Latin gentilis, belonging to a gens, and English 'woman') in the original and strict sense is a woman of good family, analogous to the Latin generosus and generosa. The closely related English word "gentry" derives from the Old French genterise, gentelise, with much of the meaning of the French noblesse and the German Adel, but without the strict technical requirements of those traditions, such as quarters of nobility.

By association with gentleman, the word can refer to:

At Court

From the time of Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I, the title Gentlewoman of Her Majesty's Bedchamber was borne by ladies serving the Queen of England, later becoming Lady of the Bedchamber.

United States Congress

'Gentlewoman' also has a local usage in the United States House of Representatives, referring to a female member of the House, as in "the gentlewoman from [place name]".[3]

Some uses in literature

See also

Look up gentlewoman in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ↑ Gentlewoman at thefreedictionary.com
  2. ↑ Gentlewoman at merriam-webster.com
  3. ↑ Gentlewoman at capitolwords.org
  4. ↑ Cox, Michael, editor, The Concise Oxford Chronology of English Literature, Oxford University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-19-860634-6
  5. ↑ The English Gentlewoman at britannica.com

External links

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