Agentlewoman (from theLatingentilis, belonging to agens, andEnglish 'woman') in the original and strict sense is a woman of goodfamily, analogous to the Latingenerosus andgenerosa. The closely related English word "gentry" derives from theOld Frenchgenterise,gentelise, with much of the meaning of theFrenchnoblesse and theGermanAdel, but without the strict technical requirements of those traditions, such asquarters of nobility.
By association withgentleman, the word can refer to:
A woman of gentle birth or high social position;
A woman attending a great lady (as, for example, the character inWilliam Shakespeare'sMacbeth called only 'Gentlewoman', who attendsLady Macbeth). This might be a court appointment as the female equivalent to avalet de chambre.
A woman with goodmanners and high standards of behaviour.[1][2]
Isabella Whitney,The Copy of a Letter, Lately Written in Meter by a Young Gentlewoman: to her Unconstant Lover,ca. 1567[5] earliest known volume of English language secular poetry published by a woman
Jane Anger: Her Protection for Women to defend them against the scandalous reports of a late surfeiting Lover... Written by Jane Anger, Gentlewoman at London (1589)
Richard Braithwaite'sThe English Gentlewoman (1631), followed hisThe English Gentleman (1630), both being books about acceptable behaviour.[6]
^O., Bereola, Enitan (17 December 2013).Gentlewoman : etiquette for a lady from a gentleman. Mobile, AL.ISBN978-0615927770.OCLC867789790.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
