gentleman-commoner

noun

At the University of Oxford, a student paying higher fees and ranking above commoners, but below noblemen.

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Meanings

noungentleman-commoner (plural gentlemen-commoners)

plural gentlemen-commoners

  1. UKhistoricaleducationAt the University of Oxford, a student paying higher fees and ranking above commoners, but below noblemen.

    Unfortunately for the college, there were a very large proportion of the gentleman-commoners.

    1859, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxford, Philadelphia: Porter and Coates, published 1888, page 10
Cite this entry
APA

gentleman-commoner. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gentleman-commoner

MLA

“gentleman-commoner.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gentleman-commoner. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gentleman-commoner,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gentleman-commoner.

Source: gentleman-commoner on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.