Plural of goodman; men of respectable standing, typically householders or men of property and good character.
From Old English 'gōd-mann' (good man), where 'mann' is the source of modern English 'man.' The plural form follows the standard Old English strong masculine noun pattern (man/men), though this particular usage is now archaic.
The old word 'goodman' shows what happened to medieval social status—it was a real title of respect for men who owned property or ran trades, sitting right below the gentry. By using 'goodmen' in plural, communities were literally listing their respectable male citizens, which is kind of like a civic roster of worthiness.
Generic 'men' was historically used to refer to people universally, but reinforced male default. Modern usage recognizes this obscured women's equal standing and participation in mixed communities.
Use 'good people,' 'good folk,' or 'good persons' for inclusive reference to mixed or unspecified gender groups.
["good people","good folk","good persons"]
Women were linguistically erased under 'generic men'; explicit inclusive language restores visibility and equal standing.
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