ETYM Old Eng. genterie, gentrie, noble birth, nobility, cf. gentrise, and Old Fren. gentelise, genterise, Eng. gentilesse, also Old Eng. genteleri high-mindedness. Related to Gent, Gentle.
The most powerful members of a society; SYN. aristocracy.
The lesser nobility, particularly in England and Wales, not entitled to sit in the House of Lords. By the later Middle Ages, it included knights, esquires, and gentlemen, and after the 17th century, baronets.

1. City in Arkansas (USA); zip code 72734.
2. Village in Missouri (USA); zip code 64453.