gentlefolk
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L321200 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒɛntl̩fəʊk/ / /ˈd͡ʒɛntl̩ˌfoʊk/ / [ˈd͡ʒɛɾ̃l̩-]
noun
Etymology: From gentle (“(archaic) well-born; of a good family or respectable birth”) + folk.
- People of superior social position.
“We ſay that Shores wife hath a prety foote, / A cherry lippe, a bonny eie, a paſſing pleaſing tongue: / And that the Queenes kindred are made gentlefolks.”
“Well, Gentlefolk, I dare now wage a Crown, / You take me for the verieſt Romp in Town,— / But ere I part from ye, I'll let you ſee, / There's other Molly Buxomes beſides me; [...]”