From Middle English gentilnesse ; equivalent to gentle + -ness .
IPA (key ) : /ˈd͡ʒɛntl̩nəs/
Hyphenation: gen‧tle‧ness
gentleness (countable and uncountable , plural gentlenesses )
The state of being gentle .
Synonyms: douceur , sweetness
1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton ], edited by H[enry] Lawes , A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: [ … ] [Comus ], London: [ … ] [Augustine Matthews ] for Hvmphrey Robinson , [ … ] , published 1637 , →OCLC ; reprinted as Comus: [ … ] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company , 1903 , →OCLC , page 29 :[S]he [Sabrina, a water nymph] reviv'd, / And undervvent a quicke, immortall change / Made goddeſſe of the river; ſtill ſhe retaines / Her maiden gentleneſſe , [ …]
being gentle
Bulgarian: благост (bg) f ( blagost ) , кротост (bg) f ( krotost )
Dutch: minzaamheid (nl)
Estonian: õrnus
Faroese: góðska f
Finnish: hellävaraisuus
French:
Old French: dolçor
Friulian: dolčôr m
Georgian: სირბილე ( sirbile ) , სიმშვიდე ( simšvide ) , სიწყნარე ( sic̣q̇nare ) , სიკეთე ( siḳete )
German: Sanftmut (de) f
Gothic: 𐌵𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍂𐌴𐌹 f ( qairrei )
Greek:
Ancient: πραότης f ( praótēs )
Hiligaynon: kalagday
Hungarian: gyengédség (hu) f
Icelandic: blíða (is) f
Italian: delicatezza (it) f , mansuetudine (it) , dolcezza (it) , garbo (it) m
Japanese: 親切 (ja) ( しんせつ , shinsetsu) , 優 (ja) ( ゆう , yū )
Korean: 친절 (ko) ( chinjeol )
Latin: lēnitās f , lēnitūdō f , indulgentia f , pietās f , clēmentia f
Old Armenian: զգօնութիւն ( zgōnutʻiwn )
Old Church Slavonic: щедрота f ( štedrota )
Plautdietsch: Jelindichkjeit f
Polish: łagodność (pl) f , delikatność (pl) f
Portuguese: gentileza (pt) f
Romanian: blândețe (ro) , gentilețe (ro) f
Russian: мя́гкость (ru) f ( mjáxkostʹ ) , доброта́ (ru) f ( dobrotá )
Sanskrit: मृदु (sa) n ( mṛdu ) , साधु (sa) n ( sādhu )
Scottish Gaelic: soineanntachd f , sèimhe f , suairceas m
Sicilian: cori (scn) m
Spanish: suavidad (es) f , dulzura (es) f
Zulu: ubumnene (zu)