gentile

[ jen-tahyl ]
/ ˈdʒɛn taɪl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR gentile ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective (sometimes initial capital letter)

noun

Origin of gentile

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin gentīlis, equivalent to gent-, stem of gēns gens + -īlis -ile

OTHER WORDS FROM gentile

non·gen·tile, adjective, noun pro-Gen·tile, adjective, noun un·gen·tile, adjective

Words nearby gentile

gentian violet, gentianaceous, gentianella, gentianophil, gentianophobic, gentile, gentile da fabriano, gentileschi, gentilesse, gentilism, gentility

Words related to gentile

agnostic, unbeliever, heretic, atheist, heathen, pagan

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.