Gentle

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈdʒɛntl̩/

Definitions

1. Mild, kind, and tender in manner or action, causing no harm or discomfort
2. Soft and mild in temperament, showing kindness and a lack of aggression while creating an atmosphere of comfort and care
3. Having a calm and soothing nature that avoids harshness or violence and promotes peaceful interaction

Etymology: Gentle began as a word about family rank, not temperament. Its ancestor, Latin "gentilis", described someone of the same clan or "gens", the extended kinship group that Roman identity was built on. Through Old French "gentil", the word came to mean high-born or noble, so a gentle person was originally one of good lineage. Over the Middle Ages the sense shifted from birth to behaviour. Nobility was expected to show courtesy and refinement, so "gentil" and its English descendant came to describe manners rather than ancestry, and then mildness of nature itself. The word entered English in Middle English, and the older sense of breeding survives in phrases like "gentleman" and "gentle birth". Gentle is a doublet of "gentile", "genteel" and "jaunty". "Gentile" kept the clan-based sense, while "genteel" and "jaunty" took the courtly path into refinement and sprightly bearing.

Synonyms: kind, mild, soft, tender, calm

Antonyms: harsh, rough, violent