gentry
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
gentry /ˈdʒɛntri/
▶noun (the gentry) people of good social position, specifically the class next below the nobility.
– origin ME (in the sense ‘superiority of birth or rank’): from Anglo-Norman Fr. genterie, based on gentil (see gentle1).
'gentry' also found in these Oxford entries:
