gentile
[ jen-tahyl ]
/ ˈdʒɛn taɪl /
adjective (sometimes initial capital letter)
noun
Origin of gentile
OTHER WORDS FROM gentile
non·gen·tile, adjective, noun pro-Gen·tile, adjective, noun un·gen·tile, adjectiveWords nearby gentile
British Dictionary definitions for gentile (1 of 3)
gentile
/ (ˈdʒɛntaɪl) /
adjective
denoting an adjective or proper noun used to designate a place or the inhabitants of a place, as Spanish and Spaniard
of or relating to a tribe or people
Word Origin for gentile
C14: from Late Latin
gentīlis, from Latin: one belonging to the same tribe or family; see
gens
British Dictionary definitions for gentile (2 of 3)
Gentile
1
/ (ˈdʒɛntaɪl) /
noun
adjective
British Dictionary definitions for gentile (3 of 3)
Gentile
2
/ (Italian dʒenˈtiːle) /
noun
Giovanni (dʒoˈvanni). 1875–1944, Italian Idealist philosopher and Fascist politician: minister of education (1922–24)
Cultural definitions for gentile
Gentile
Someone who is not a Jew (see also Jews). “The nations” is the common expression in the Old Testament for non-Jews as a group, and a Gentile is a person belonging to “the nations.”
notes for Gentile
Both the
Old Testament and the
New Testament tell of numerous conflicts between Jews and Gentiles. Figuratively, a “gentile” is any nonbeliever.