The quality of being soft, kind, and not rough or violent in manner or touch.
From 'gentle' (from Old French 'gentil,' meaning of good family/noble) + '-ness' (quality of). Originally 'gentle' meant noble-born, and over time it evolved to mean having the refined behavior associated with nobility.
It's ironic that 'gentleness' comes from 'gentle' which originally meant 'of noble birth'—meaning the wealthy and powerful were supposedly gentle—but in real life, the truly powerful often use gentleness as a choice, making it far more impressive than a birthright.
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