Gentlewoman

A gentlewoman (from the Latin ''gentilis'', belonging to a ''gens'', and English 'woman') in the original and strict sense is a woman of good family, analogous to the Latin ''generosus'' and ''generosa''. The closely related English word "gentry" derives from the Old French ''genterise'', ''gentelise'', with much of the meaning of the French ''noblesse'' and the German ''Adel'', but without the strict technical requirements of those traditions, such as quarters of nobility.

By association with gentleman, the word can refer to:

*A woman of gentle birth or high social position; *A woman attending a great lady (as, for example, the character in William Shakespeare's ''Macbeth'' called only 'Gentlewoman', who attends Lady Macbeth). This might be a court appointment as the female equivalent to a valet de chambre. *A woman with good manners and high standards of behaviour. Provided by Wikipedia