gentleness

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English

Etymology

From Middle English gentilnesse; equivalent to gentle +‎ -ness.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛntl̩nəs/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: gen‧tle‧ness

Noun

gentleness (countable and uncountable, plural gentlenesses)

  1. The state of being gentle.
    Synonyms: douceur, sweetness
    • 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H 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:
      he [Sabrina, a water nymph] reviv'd, / And undervvent a quicke, immortall change / Made goddeſſe of the river; ſtill ſhe retaines / Her maiden gentleneſſe, […]
    • 1983 December 3, Andrea Loewenstein, “Racism Denounced in a Powerful Play”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 20, page 20:
      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.

Translations

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