Gentlemen-at-arms

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Gentleman \Gen"tle*man\, n.; pl. {Gentlemen}. [OE. gentilman
     nobleman; gentil noble + man man; cf. F. gentilhomme.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. A man well born; one of good family; one above the
        condition of a yeoman.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. One of gentle or refined manners; a well-bred man.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Her.) One who bears arms, but has no title.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. The servant of a man of rank.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The count's gentleman, one Cesario.   --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. A man, irrespective of condition; -- used esp. in the
        plural (= citizens; people), in addressing men in popular
        assemblies, etc.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: In Great Britain, the term gentleman is applied in a
           limited sense to those having coats of arms, but who
           are without a title, and, in this sense, gentlemen hold
           a middle rank between the nobility and yeomanry. In a
           more extended sense, it includes every man above the
           rank of yeoman, comprehending the nobility. In the
           United States, the term is applied to men of education
           and good breeding of every occupation.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     {Gentleman commoner}, one of the highest class of commoners
        at the University of Oxford.
  
     {Gentleman usher}, one who ushers visitors into the presence
        of a sovereign, etc.
  
     {Gentleman usher of the black rod}, an usher belonging to the
        Order of the Garter, whose chief duty is to serve as
        official messenger of the House of Lords.
  
     {Gentlemen-at-arms}, a band of forty gentlemen who attend the
        sovereign on state occasions; formerly called {gentlemen
        pensioners}. [Eng.]
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  gentleman-at-arms
       n : one of 40 gentlemen who attend the British sovereign on
           state occasions
       [also: {gentlemen-at-arms} (pl)]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  gentlemen-at-arms
       See {gentleman-at-arms}