Appropriate to, characteristic of, or befitting a gentlewoman; refined, dignified, and proper in manner.
From 'gentlewoman' with the adjectival suffix '-ly' (Old English -lice, meaning like or in the manner of). This is distinct from the adverbial '-ly' and creates a quality-describing adjective.
It's wild that English uses '-ly' for both adverbs (run quickly) and adjectives describing qualities (gentlewomanly manner)—this ancient suffix is doing double duty, and we don't even notice because the language evolved this way so long ago.
Prescriptive adjective enforcing behavioral conformity on women. Historically asymmetrical with 'gentlemanly'—the latter described actions/skills; the former described acceptable demeanor and social positioning.
Use only in historical contexts. For modern description, specify the actual quality: 'professional,' 'eloquent,' 'composed'—without gendering.
["eloquent","professional","composed"]
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