gents

See also: Gents and gents'

English

Alternative forms

• Gents

Etymology

A clipped form of gentlemen. As a room, via misspelling of gents', a clipped form of gentlemen's room.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒɛnts/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛnts

Noun

gents

1. plural of gent

Noun

gents pl (plural only)

1. (chiefly UK, informal euphemistic) A men's room: a lavatory intended for use by men.

   Where is the gents? I need a slash.

   • 1898, The Hotel/Motor Hotel Monthly, volume 6, page 27:

     A gents' toilet room might be found in a house that caters for the cheaper class of theatrical patronage, where the slangy language of the "goin' to the mat this aft?" style prevails. A gents toilet room is not found in the Southern Hotel. It either "men's" or "gentlemen's".

   • 2000, Munroe Blair, Ceramic Water Closets‎^[1], page 15:

     London's first 'gents' public toilets were opened in Fleet Street in 1851, followed in 1852 by a 'ladies' toilet at 51 Bedford Street, Strand.

   • 2014 April 11, Charlotte Meredith, “The Palace of Sexminster”, in Huffington Post: United Kingdom:

     One unidentified man spoke of how he was approached to "go to the Gents" with an MP at an event for young political activists while another man described how an MP invited his entire office staff to a gay bar.

Synonyms

• (room): men's, gents'; see also Thesaurus:bathroom

See also

• Appendix:Special uses of possessives in English

Adjective

gents (not comparable)

1. Men's: intended for use by men.

Coordinate terms

• (all senses): ladies

Anagrams

• Tengs, Tseng

French

Noun

gents f

1. plural of gent

Adjective

gents

1. masculine plural of gent