Word for the day: gentle

gentle  |ˈdʒɛnt(ə)l|                                                     *amable (en Español)

 
DEFINITION

adjective ( gentler, gentlest )1 having or showing a mild, kind, or tender temperament or character: a gentle, sensitive man | her gentle voice.2 moderate in action, effect, or degree; not strong or violent: take some gentle exercise | a gentle breeze.• (of a slope) gradual: a gentle embankment.3 archaic (of a person) noble or having the qualities attributed to noble birth; courteous and chivalrous.

verbmake or become gentle: [ no obj. ] : Cobb's tone gentled a little.• [ with obj. ] touch (a person or animal) gently, typically in order to make them calmer or more docile.
DERIVATIVESgentleness noun,gently adverb
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French gentil ‘high-born, noble’, from Latin gentilis ‘of the same clan’ (see gentile). The original sense was ‘nobly born’, hence ‘courteous, chivalrous’, later ‘mild, moderate in action or disposition’ (mid 16th cent.).

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