Gentleman vs. Gentlewoman — What's the Difference?

A gentleman (Old French: gentilz hom, gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, gentleman was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the rank of gentleman comprised the younger sons of the younger sons of peers, and the younger sons of a baronet, a knight, and an esquire, in perpetual succession.

A gentlewoman (from the Latin gentilis, belonging to a gens, and English 'woman') in the original and strict sense is a woman of good family, analogous to the Latin generosus and generosa. The closely related English word "gentry" derives from the Old French genterise, gentelise, with much of the meaning of the French noblesse and the German Adel, but without the strict technical requirements of those traditions, such as quarters of nobility.

A man of gentle or noble birth or superior social position

A woman of gentle or noble birth or superior social position.

A well-mannered and considerate man with high standards of proper behavior. See Usage Note at lady.

A well-mannered and considerate woman with high standards of proper behavior.

A man of independent means who does not need to have a wage-paying job.

A woman acting as a personal attendant to a lady of rank.

A man

(historical) A woman of the nobility.

Gentlemen (-mən) Used as a form of address for a group of men.

A female member of a legislature, especially a female member of a House of Representatives.

A manservant; a valet.

A woman of good family or of good breeding; a woman above the vulgar.

A man of gentle but not noble birth, particularly a man of means (originally ownership of property) who does not work for a living but has no official status in a peerage; an armiferous man ranking below a knight.

A woman who attends a lady of high rank.

Any well-bred, well-mannered, or charming man.

A woman of refinement;

An effeminate or oversophisticated man.

Any man.

An amateur or dabbler in any field, particularly those of independent means.

(cricket) An amateur player, particularly one whose wealth permits him to forego payment.

A man well born; one of good family; one above the condition of a yeoman.

One of gentle or refined manners; a well-bred man.

One who bears arms, but has no title.

The servant of a man of rank.

A man, irrespective of condition; - used esp. in the plural (= citizens; people), in addressing men in popular assemblies, etc.

A man of refinement

A manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer;