First 200 word entry on Gentlemen

Gentleman: (n)
1
a : a man of noble or gentle birth
b : a man belonging to the landed gentry
c (1) : a man who combines gentle birth or rank with chivalrous qualities
(2) : a man whose conduct conforms to a high standard of propriety or correct behavior
d (1) : a man of independent means who does not engage in any occupation or profession for gain
(2) : a man who does not engage in a menial occupation or in manual labor for gain

Gentleman in Popular culture:

Today, the word "gentleman" is used to describe a man who has a superior way of conduct; how he speaks, how he carries himself, what he says, his personal hygiene habits. Generally the "gentleman" comes from a higher social status than the average person; but any well groomed, well mannered man may be referred to as a "gentleman".
Another sense of the word gentleman is used to describe a man's means of treating others, especially women. Gentlemen do not take advantage of other people; they play fair and by the rules. They put others before themselves.
"Gentleman" may also be used as a respectful term to refer to someone in third person. "I'm sorry, I don't have the time. However, one of those two gentlemen over there might." and "This young gentleman is looking for a job at your store." are phrases you might hear with one speaking politely of another man in the third person.

Gentlemen in Victorian England:

One recent critic has noted that the gentleman is "the necessary link in any analysis of mid-Victorian ways of thinking and behaving." The aristocracy and upperclassmen of Victorian England were all gentlemen by default, which may be regarded as hypocrisy by some, as the Victorians also emphasized that birth alone could not make a man a gentleman. Clergymen, army officers, and government officials were recognized as gentlemen due to the importance of their profession; however, some other occupations that one would recognize today as of very high or equal merit -such as scientists- were not gentlemen by virtue of their job,
Although social class was what most Victorians looked to to distinguish a "gentleman" from a regular man, there was also a moral part of the gentleman title. A gentleman was expected to be courteous, polite, and chivalrous, much like today. Still, however, in Victorian fiction, social class was put higher in importance than moral code. "The essense of a gentleman," wrote John Ruskin, a period author, "is what the word says, that he comes from a pure gens, or is perfectly bred. After that, gentleness and sympathy, or kind disposition and fine imagination."



~Fraser Boychuk