Gentlefolks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. People of good birth, refinement and social standing ; a polite way of addressing a group of men and women together
2. Members of the upper classes regarded as well-bred ; a courteous term used to address a mixed audience of gentlemen and ladies
3. Persons born into respectable families with fine manners ; a deferential salutation directed at a company of gentlemen and ladies

Etymology: "Gentlefolks" is a plain compound of "gentle" and "folks," with no dramatic backstory. "Gentle" comes from Old French "gentil," meaning of noble birth, and it originally carried that sense of good family before it came to mean kind or mild. "Folks" is the older English word for people, so the combination reads as "people of good birth." The word has a split personality. In its older and more formal sense, it referred to people of refined background and social standing. In its other use, it works as a courteous way of addressing a mixed group of men and women, much like "ladies and gentlemen," but with a warmer, more informal tone. The two senses share the same root idea: the "gentle" that once meant noble has, in this word, been stretched to cover polite company generally.

Synonyms: gentry, aristocracy

Antonyms: commoners, peasants, plebeians