GENTLEMAN. Under this denomination are comprehended all above the rank of yeomen † where-† See Commonalty.
A gentleman is usually defined to be one, who, without any title, bears a coat of arms, or whose ancestors have been freemen: and by the coat that a gentleman giveth, he is known to be, or not to be, descended from those of his name that lived many hundred years since.
The word is formed of the French gentilhomme; or rather of gentil, "fine, fashionable, or becoming;" and the Saxon man, q. d. honestus, or honesto loco natus.—The same signification has the Italian gentiluomo, and the Spanish hidalgo, or hijo dalgo, that is, the son of somebody, or a person of note.—If we go farther back, we shall find gentleman originally derived from the Latin gentilis homo; which was used among the Romans for a race of noble persons of the same name, born of free or ingenuous parents, and whose ancestors had never been slaves or put to death by law. Thus Cicero in his Topics, "Gentiles sunt, qui inter se eodem sunt nomine, ab ingenuis oriundi, quorum majorum nemo servitutem servivit, qui capite non sunt diminuti, &c."—Some
Gentleman.—Some hold that it was formed from gentile, i. e. pagan; and that the ancient Franks, who conquered Gaul, which was then converted to Christianity, were called gentiles by the natives, as being yet heathens.—Others relate, that towards the declension of the Roman empire, as recorded by Ammianus Marcellinus, there were two companies of brave soldiers, the one called gentiles, and the other seutarii; and that it was hence we derive the names gentleman and esquire. See ESQUIRE.—This sentiment is confirmed by Pasquier, who supposes the appellation gentiles and ecuyers to have been transmitted to us from the Roman soldiery; it being to the gentiles and seutarii, who were the bravest of the soldiery, that the principal benefices and portions of lands were assigned. See BENEFICE.—The Gauls observing, that during the empire of the Romans, the seutarii and gentiles had the best tenements or appointments of all the soldiers on the frontiers of the provinces, became insensibly accustomed to apply the same names, gentilhomme and ecuyers, to such as they found their kings gave the best provisions or appointments to.