Informal plural of gentleman; men, especially polite or well-mannered ones.
Short for 'gentlemen,' which comes from Old French 'gentil' meaning noble or well-born. The modern slang shortening to 'gents' became common in the 19th century as casual speech.
Just like how 'bros' is short for 'brothers,' 'gents' is how young men started casually referring to other men—it shows how informal speech eventually challenges formal language and sometimes wins. You'll see 'Gents' on bathroom signs, which is actually British English being cheeky and friendly.
Informal for gentlemen; historically male-centered etiquette language. Assumes audience or subjects are men, excluding women from assumed social standing.
Use 'people,' 'folks,' or 'everyone' to include all genders. If referring to a group you know is mixed, avoid gender-coded informality.
["folks","people","everyone","folks here"]
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