gentile Hear it!

gentile definition

gen·tile (jentīl′)

noun

  1. any person not a Jew; often, specif., a Christian
  2. Historical among Christians, a heathen or pagan
  3. ☆ among Mormons, any person not a Mormon

Etymology: < Fr & L; Fr gentil < L gentilis, of the same gens, clan, or race, also, foreigner (in opposition to Roman), in LL(Ec), pagan, heathen (in opposition to Jew and Christian): see gentle

adjective

  1. not Jewish
  2. heathen; pagan
  3. ☆ not Mormon
  4. of a clan, tribe, or nation
  5. Gram. designating a nationality or country “French” is a gentile adjective

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.