Ok this is probably mundane for general questions…but still the question nags at me, what is the origin of Gentlemen as in Ladieesss and Gentlemennnn. When this noun began, was it indicative of being a civilized man to be called a “gentle man” or whut? For that matter what is the origin of the nouns lady or ladies?
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I met a man that told me he would do anything for $50.00 so I said, “Ok paint my house.”
Henny Youngman
Ladies and Gentlemen of yore (and perhaps still, in Britain) we’re the upperclass or gentry; property owners at the very least. One of the social sides to the American Revolution was an attempt to elliminate these sorts of class distinctions and titles. By the 1830s any white man or woman in the USA was referred to as a lady or a gentleman. This greatly upset visitors from Europe. I think de Torqueville (sp?) commented on this aspect of American culture.
The salutation used to address audiences is probably from the famous ringmaster’s speach written by PT Barnum.
Elmer J. Fudd,
Millionaire.
I own a mansion and a yacht.
1gen·tle
Etymology: Middle English gentil, from Old French, from Latin gentilis of a gens, of one’s family,
1 a : belonging to a family of high social station b archaic : CHIVALROUS
Make that Family with a capital F and it makes sense. Gentry came from gentle, gentile is a related word
Lady Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hl[AE]fdige, from hlAf bread
- -dige (akin to d[AE]ge kneader of bread) –
Date: before 12th century
1 a : a woman having proprietary rights or authority especially as a feudal superior
sounds weird huh? but one of the duties of a fuedal lady was making sure the bread was baked.
“Bakers and men of high social standing, Welcome to Ringworm Brothers, Barnyard and Bathtub Circus” just don’t have the same ring, it for sure doesn’t have 3 rings.
“Pardon me while I have a strange interlude.”-Marx
If you try www.onelook.com you can search thru about 500 dictionaries in a flash…
gen•tle•man "jen-tel-men, "je-nel-, in rapid speech also "jen-te-men, "je-ne-\ noun often attrib [ME gentilman] (12c)
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 usu. in the pl. in address <ladies and gentlemen>
gen•tle•man•like -men-'lik\ adjective
gen•tle•man•like•ness noun
©1996 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
That’s OK, “Lord” comes from “hlaf-ward” – “loaf guardian”. In the bronze age, keeping the bread safe from raiders was as important as baking it.
John W. Kennedy
“Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.”
– Charles Williams
European class distinctions also help to make almost humourous the old chestnut:
“Who was that lady I saw you with last night?”
so that’s why one look was responding so slowly. Okay ,so what does Duke of Earl mean?
“Pardon me while I have a strange interlude.”-Marx
Other cultures have different associations with men of class. The spanish term caballero literally means horseman and is properly used wherever gentleman would be used in english.
Although I’ve always wondered why a duck with no pants could be one of the Three Gay Caballeros.
That was no lady; that was my wife!
–Da Cap’n
“Playin’ solitaire 'til dawn
With a deck of fifty-one.”
cf. genteel:
Peace, good gentlefolk.
Are you sure about caballero? It was my impression that it was incredibly formal and that if you want to simply say Ladies and gentlemen, it’s just Señores y señoras. Señor does triple duty for Mr., gentleman, and sir.
No, “genteel” is not the origin of “gentleman”, although it’s a parallel word.
And a warning: the only modern meaning of “genteel” is “faking refined behavior”.
John W. Kennedy
“Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.”
– Charles Williams
Horsemen?
As in “She was only a farmer’s daughter, but all the horsemen knew 'er?”
The Dave-Guy
“since my daughter’s only half-Jewish, can she go in up to her knees?” J.H. Marx