gentleman

Etymology

From Middle English gentilman, morphologically gentle + man, partial calque of Old French gentilhome.

noun

1. (chiefly historical) 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; (UK law) an armiferous man ranking below a knight.
   Being a gentleman, Robert was entitled to shove other commoners into the gongpit but he still had to jump out of the way of the knights to avoid the same fate himself.
2. Any well-bred, well-mannered, or charming man.
   She wanted to go see a movie called Gigi, which I was not too thrilled about. But being a gentleman, I bit my tongue and said, “Okay.” 2011, Mike Pappas, Growing Up the Greek Way in the Big Apple, page 103
3. (derogatory) An effeminate or oversophisticated man.
   Well, la-di-da, aren't you just a proper gentleman?
4. (polite term of address) Any man.
   Please escort this gentleman to the gentlemen's room.
5. (usually historical, sometimes derogatory) An amateur or dabbler in any field, particularly those of independent means.
   Latrobe had extensive dealings with Jefferson, the most prominent gentleman-architect in the United States. 2004, Mary N. Woods, “The First Professional: Benjamin Henry Latrobe”, in Keith L. Eggener, editor, American Architectural History: A Contemporary Reader, electronic edition, Routledge, page 119
6. (cricket) An amateur player, particularly one whose wealth permits him to forego payment.