gentile

Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒɛntaɪl/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a person who does not acknowledge your god
  2. noun a person who is not a member of one's own religion; used in this sense by Mormons and Hindus
  3. noun a Christian as contrasted with a Jew

Etymology

Borrowed from French gentil (“gentile”), from Latin gentīlis (“of or belonging to the same people or nation”), morphologically from gēns (“clan; tribe; people, family”) + adjective suffix -īlis (“-ile”). Doublet of gentle, genteel, jaunty, and Gentoo. See also gens, gender, genus, and generation.

In classic literature

Synonyms

heathen, pagan, infidel

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
nonreligious person
Narrower (hyponyms)
idolater, paynim

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