gentleness

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English

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛntl̩nəs/
  • Hyphenation: gen‧tle‧ness

Noun

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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[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:
      [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, []

Translations

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