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by nickvan8 on December 27th, 2006

nickvan8

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Where does "ladies and Gentlemen" come from? Why is it not "gentle ladies and men, or Gentle ladies and Gentlemen"?

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  • by Roger Kovaciny on December 27th, 2006

    Roger Kovaciny

    The prefix "Gentle" in "Gentlemen" doesn't mean "gentle." It comes from the age of English aristocracy and is a synonym for "noble." (When you read an older novel and the intro starts out "Gentle reader,..." it's a dedication to the hereditary nobility.) Well, "ladies" were by definition members of the gentry--a lady was not just a woman, she was a female lord--and the form "gentle ladies" is never found, though "gentle sirs" is.

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