gentleness en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈd͡ʒɛntl̩nəs/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle English gentilnesse; equivalent to gentle + -ness.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) The state of being gentle.
Willie spends his bus money home playing a song to dance to on the jukebox in an effort to comfort Sam, and unlike Hally, who struck out at his old friend when his life began to go wrong, Sam does not pass down Hally's hatefulness, but instead treats Willie with the same gentleness he has shown toward him throughout the play.
1983 March 12, Andrea Loewenstein, “Racism Denounced in a Powerful Play”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 20, page 20:[S]he [Sabrina, a water nymph] reviv'd, / And undervvent a quicke, immortall change / Made goddeſſe of the river; ſtill ſhe retaines / Her maiden gentleneſſe, […]
1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC, page 29:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| gentlenesses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
Translations (52)
ro blândețe (being gentle) · pt gentileza (being gentle) · grc πραότης (being gentle) · it dolcezza (being gentle) · la clēmentia (being gentle) · es suavidad (being gentle) · scn cori (being gentle) · ka სიკეთე (being gentle) · ka სიმშვიდე (being gentle) · la lēnitās (being gentle) · gd sèimhe (being gentle) · la lēnitūdō (being gentle) · fur dolčôr (being gentle) · ru мя́гкость (being gentle) · fo góðska (being gentle) · ru доброта́ (being gentle) · got 𐌵𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍂𐌴𐌹 (being gentle) · es dulzura (being gentle) · hi कोमलता (being gentle) · it mansuetudine (being gentle) · it garbo (being gentle) · ko 친절 (being gentle) · xcl զգօնութիւն (being gentle) · ka სირბილე (being gentle) · ro gentilețe (being gentle) · hu gyengédség (being gentle) · nl minzaamheid (being gentle) · zu ubumnene (being gentle) · cu щедрота (being gentle) · sa साधु (being gentle) · pdt Jelindichkjeit (being gentle) · la pietās (being gentle) · ka სიწყნარე (being gentle) · sa मृदु (being gentle) · de Sanftmut (being gentle) · gd suairceas (being gentle) · hil kalagday (being gentle) · pl delikatność (being gentle) · fro dolçor (being gentle) · fi hellävaraisuus (being gentle) · ja 優 (being gentle) · hi मृदुता (being gentle) · it delicatezza (being gentle) · bg благост (being gentle) · hi सौम्यता (being gentle) · ja 親切 (being gentle) · gd soineanntachd (being gentle) · la indulgentia (being gentle) · pl łagodność (being gentle) · bg кротост (being gentle) · et õrnus (being gentle) · is blíða (being gentle)