Meaning

verb cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of

verb give a title to someone; make someone a member of the nobility

verb stroke soothingly

originFrom Middle English gentil (“courteous, noble”), from Old French gentil (“high-born, noble”), from Latin gentilis (“of the same family or clan”), from gens (“[Roman] clan”). Doublet of gentile, genteel, and jaunty.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0