gentleman

n.; pl. Gentlemen [ OE. gentilman nobleman; gentil noble + man man; cf. F. gentilhomme. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A man well born; one of good family; one above the condition of a yeoman. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One of gentle or refined manners; a well-bred man. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Her.) One who bears arms, but has no title. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The servant of a man of rank. [ 1913 Webster ]

The count's gentleman, one Cesario. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A man, irrespective of condition; -- used esp. in the plural (= citizens; people), in addressing men in popular assemblies, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In Great Britain, the term gentleman is applied in a limited sense to those having coats of arms, but who are without a title, and, in this sense, gentlemen hold a middle rank between the nobility and yeomanry. In a more extended sense, it includes every man above the rank of yeoman, comprehending the nobility. In the United States, the term is applied to men of education and good breeding of every occupation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gentleman commoner, one of the highest class of commoners at the University of Oxford. --
Gentleman usher, one who ushers visitors into the presence of a sovereign, etc. --
Gentleman usher of the black rod, an usher belonging to the Order of the Garter, whose chief duty is to serve as official messenger of the House of Lords. --
Gentlemen-at-arms, a band of forty gentlemen who attend the sovereign on state occasions; formerly called gentlemen pensioners. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]