# gently

Pronunciation: say "JENT-lee" /ˈd͡ʒɛntli/

## Adverb

1. Softly and lightly, with little force or speed.
   - Simple: Softly, without using much force or moving fast.
   - _Fold in the egg whites gently so the batter stays light and airy._
   - _She gently lifted the sleeping baby out of the car seat._
2. In a gentle, mild manner, or to a mild and gradual degree.
   - Simple: In a kind, mild way, or only a little at a time.
   - _The lawn slopes gently down to the river._
   - _The teacher gently corrected the boy's spelling without embarrassing him._
3. Quietly, with little noise or movement.
   - Simple: Quietly, without much sound or movement.
   - _A stream gurgled gently behind the cabin all night._
   - _The curtains stirred gently in the evening breeze._
4. From a family of gentle or high-class rank, describing a person's birth.
   - Simple: Born into a family of high social class.
   - _Though gently born, she earned her keep as a governess after her father's ruin._
   - _Gently born officers often bought their commissions rather than earning them._

## Adverb

5. In a courteous, noble way that reflects the traditional virtues of the gentry, as befits a person of gentle birth. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: In a polite and noble way, like a well-born lady or gentleman.

## Origin

From Middle English gentilly, gentlych, gentilliche, equivalent to gentle + -ly, with *-lely simplified to -ly by haplology (the loss of a repeated syllable).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/gently (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).