Gentlepersons

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Men of good breeding and courteous manners ; a polite way of addressing a group of men in a formal setting
2. Courteous, well-mannered men of refinement ; a respectful form of address used when speaking to a group of males
3. Refined, honorable men of good upbringing ; the polite phrase used to greet or address several men together

Etymology: "Gentlepersons" is the plural of "gentleperson", a gender-neutral alternative to "gentlemen" and "gentlewomen" when a group includes people of any gender. The singular was formed from "gentle" plus "-person", a suffix that follows the pattern of "gentleman" and "gentlewoman", which both already existed as paired terms for men and women of good birth or manners. The word "gentle" traces back to the Old French "gentil", meaning noble or well born, which itself came from Latin "gentilis", relating to a clan or family. Over time, "gentle" shifted from describing family rank to describing good breeding and then to describing kindness and mildness of manner. The modern "gentleperson" carries that sense of courteous character rather than social standing. The "-person" element is a much more recent addition to English, dating from the late Middle English period, when "person" was borrowed from Old French "persone" and came to be used in compounds and neutral phrases. Its use as a gender-neutral substitute for "man" or "woman" in words like "chairperson" is a twentieth-century development, which is why "gentleperson" follows that later trend.