Freq #82802
Meanings
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1
noun
historical: people considered well-born, genteel, or of high social rank
The innkeeper reserved his finest rooms for gentlefolk travelling from London.
Thesaurus
Etymology
A compound of gentle, in its historical sense 'well-born or of respectable family,' + folk, 'people.' It became a collective term for members of the gentry or upper social ranks and is now chiefly historical or literary.