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gentle

Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒɛn.tl̩/

The English word “gentle” has 13 meanings listed here.

adjective

  1. Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition.
  2. Soft and mild rather than hard or severe.
  3. Docile and easily managed.
  4. Gradual rather than steep or sudden.
  5. Polite and respectful rather than rude.
  6. Well-born; of a good family or respectable birth, though not noble.

verb

  1. To become gentle.
  2. To ennoble.
  3. To break; to tame; to domesticate.
  4. To soothe; to calm; to make gentle.

noun

  1. A person of high birth.
  2. A maggot used as bait by anglers.
  3. A trained falcon, or falcon-gentil.

Etymology

From Middle English gentil (“courteous, noble”), from Old French gentil (“high-born, noble”), from Latin gentilis (“of the same family or clan”), from gens (“[Roman] clan”). Doublet of gentile, genteel, and jaunty.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.