gentleman-farmer

[ jen-tl-muhn-fahr-mer ]

noun

, plural gen·tle·men-farm·ers.

1. a man whose wealth or income from other sources permits him to farm for pleasure rather than for basic income.
2. a man whose income from his farm has freed him from the necessity of physical labor.

gentleman-farmer

noun

1. a person who engages in farming but does not depend on it for his living
2. a person who owns farmland but does not farm it personally

Word History and Origins

Origin of gentleman-farmer¹

First recorded in 1740–50

Example Sentences

“A degradation to illegitimacy and ignorance, to be married to a respectable, intelligent gentleman-farmer!”

From Literature

Twenty years or more ago, the young gentleman-farmer who had come to Dornau to pick up some knowledge of his future vocation, and who had but a slender fortune to rely upon, was certainly no suitable parti for the daughter of the house.

From Project Gutenberg

A person who by birth, education, and wealth, is entitled to the distinction of gentleman, and who chooses to devote his capital to agriculture may be properly designated a farming-gentleman, though the occupation of a large estate without those qualifications can never constitute a gentleman-farmer.

From Project Gutenberg

The successful speculator was Mr. Saxon, a gentleman-farmer, near Shepton Mallet.

From Project Gutenberg

The predominant class is what one might call the gentleman-farmer, with the stress perhaps on “gentleman.”

From Project Gutenberg