Thanks for all the nominations.
Please vote in this poll.
rusalka was so kind to volunteer to compile the poll list (thanks for that
.)
It is ordered
a. by the number of nominations a person received, and
b. alphabetically. gen·tle·man
n.
1. A man of gentle or noble birth or superior social position: He's too much a gentleman to be a scholar (Aphra Behn).
2. A well-mannered and considerate man with high standards of proper behavior.
3. A man of independent means who does not need to have a wage-paying job.
4. A man: Do you know this gentleman?
5. gentlemen Used as a form of address for a group of men.
6. A manservant; a valet.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
gentleman
\Gen"tle*man\, n.; pl. Gentlemen. [OE. gentilman nobleman; gentil noble + man man; cf. F. gentilhomme.]
1. A man well born; one of good family; one above the condition of a yeoman.
2. One of gentle or refined manners; a well-bred man.
3. (Her.) One who bears arms, but has no title.
4. The servant of a man of rank.
The count's gentleman, one Cesario. --Shak.
5. A man, irrespective of condition; -- used esp. in the plural (= citizens; people), in addressing men in popular assemblies, etc.
Note: In Great Britain, the term gentleman is applied in a limited sense to those having coats of arms, but who are without a title, and, in this sense, gentlemen hold a middle rank between the nobility and yeomanry. In a more extended sense, it includes every man above the rank of yeoman, comprehending the nobility. In the United States, the term is applied to men of education and good breeding of every occupation.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Main Entry: gen-tle-man
Pronunciation: 'jen-t&l-m&n, 'je-n&l-, in rapid speech also 'jen-t&-m&n, 'je-n&-
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English gentilman
1 a : a man of noble or gentle birth
b : a man belonging to the landed gentry
c (1) : a man who combines gentle birth or rank with chivalrous qualities
(2) : a man whose conduct conforms to a high standard of propriety or correct behavior
d (1) : a man of independent means who does not engage in any occupation or profession for gain
(2) : a man who does not engage in a menial occupation or in manual labor for gain
2 : VALET -- often used in the phrase gentleman's gentleman
3 : a man of any social class or condition -- often used in a courteous reference <show this gentleman to a seat> or usually in the plural in address <ladies and gentlemen>
Source: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
See also:
Skadi Forum Thread What makes a gentleman a gentleman?
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