A gentlewoman (from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

''gentilis'', belonging to a ''gens'', and English 'woman') in the original and strict sense is a woman of good

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

, analogous to the Latin ''generosus'' and ''generosa''. The closely related English word " gentry" derives from the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligi ...

''genterise'', ''gentelise'', with much of the meaning of the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

''noblesse'' and the German ''Adel'', but without the strict technical requirements of those traditions, such as quarters of nobility. By association with gentleman, the word can refer to: *A woman of gentle birth or high social position; *A woman attending a great lady (as, for example, the character in William Shakespeare's ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' called only 'Gentlewoman', who attends

Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is a leading character in William Shakespeare's tragedy '' Macbeth'' (). As the wife of the play's tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes quee ...

). This might be a court appointment as the female equivalent to a valet de chambre. *A woman with good manners and high standards of behaviour.

At court

From the time of Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I, the title ''Gentlewoman of Her Majesty's Bedchamber'' was borne by ladies serving the Queen of England, later becoming Lady of the Bedchamber.

United States Congress

'Gentlewoman' also has a local usage in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

, referring to a female member of the House, as in "the gentlewoman from tate.

Some uses in literature

* Enitan Bereola II, ''Gentlewoman: Etiquette for a Lady, from a Gentleman'' (2014) * Isabella Whitney, ''The Copy of a Letter, Lately Written in Meter by a Young Gentlewoman: to her Unconstant Lover'', ''ca.'' 1567 earliest known volume of English language secular poetry published by a woman *''

Jane Anger Jane Anger was an English author of the sixteenth century and the first woman to publish a full-length defence of her sex in English. The title of her defense, ''Jane Anger Her Protection For Women'' was published in 1589. In the late sixteenth ...

: Her Protection for Women to defend them against the scandalous reports of a late surfeiting Lover... Written by Jane Anger, Gentlewoman at London'' (1589) * Richard Braithwaite's ''The English Gentlewoman'' (1631), followed his ''The English Gentleman'' (1630), both being books about acceptable behaviour.
The English Gentlewoman
' at britannica.com *"Helena, a Gentlewoman", in '' All's Well That Ends Well'' *''A Yorkshire Gentlewoman and Her Son'' by George Chapman (17th century) *"Quartilla, gentlewoman to Triphoena", in '' Holland's Leaguer'' (1631) by Shackerley Marmion *"Mrs Pleasant, a handsome young Gentlewoman of a good fortune" in '' The Parson's Wedding'' (1641) by Thomas Killigrew * Anne Bradstreet, '' The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up into America, by a Gentlewoman in such Parts'' (1647) * Hannah Woolley, ''The Gentlewoman's Companion; or, a Guide to the Female Sex'' (1673) *Eliza Smith, ''The Compleat Housewife: or, Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion'' (16th edition ed., 1758) *''The Gentlewoman's Magazine'' (18th century periodical) *Arvind Nehra, ''

Letters of an Indian Judge to an English Gentlewoman ''Letters of an Indian Judge to an English Gentlewoman'' is a book of correspondence, in the form of letters, from Arvind Nehra, an Indian judge in colonial India. First published in 1934, this compilation of letters that were "unhindered by th ...

'' (1934) *

Charles Angell Bradford Charles Angell Bradford (1864–1940) was a British writer and historian. Life Charles was born in November 1864, the seventh child of Samuel and Sarah Bradford. He passed an exam for the civil service in 1883. He was elected a Fellow of th ...

, ''Blanche Parry, Queen Elizabeth's Gentlewoman'' (1935) * Margery Sharp ''The Foolish Gentlewoman'' (1948) *Langton, A., ''A Gentlewoman in Upper Canada'' (1950) *

Mary Hallock Foote Mary Hallock Foote (1847–1938) was an American author and illustrator. She is best known for her illustrated short stories and novels portraying life in the mining communities of the turn-of-the-century American West. Biography Overview Mar ...

, ''A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West: The Reminiscences of Mary Hallock Foote'' (1972)

References

{{reflist

External links

*Maurice Keen
Heraldry and the Medieval Gentlewoman
at historytoday.com Court titles Gentry Women's social titles Terms for women

At court

United States Congress

Some uses in literature

See also

References

External links