ENGLISH
REFERENCE

gentile

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈdʒɛnˌtaɪɫ// UK //dʒˈɛntaɪl// gen·tile

n. someone who is not Jewish. People use this word to talk about religious or cultural groups.

n. a person who is not of the Jewish faith or ethnicity. Often used in historical or religious contexts to distinguish between Jewish and non-Jewish populations.


SIMPLE

The local community included both Jews and gentiles.

COMPLEX

Scholars often examine how early religious movements navigated the cultural divide between Jewish traditions and the customs of the surrounding gentile world.

Synonyms
Origin

From French gentil (“gentile”), from Latin gentīlis (“of or belonging to the same people or nation”), from gēns (“clan, tribe”) + adjective suffix -īlis (“-ile”).

Usage

Often capitalised as 'Gentile' in religious or formal writing.

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