Plural of gentry; the upper social classes below nobility, or people of gentle or noble birth collectively.
Plural of 'gentry,' from Old French 'genterie,' derived from Latin gentilis (well-born). 'Gentry' refers to the middle-upper classes that formed an important social tier between commoners and nobility.
The 'gentry' were basically the medieval middle class—rich landowners and professionals who weren't quite noble but had way more power than peasants, and this in-between status was so important that entire regions had different terms for their local gentry classes.
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