gentleman-commoner

American  

[jen-tl-muhn-kom-uh-ner] / ˈdʒɛn tl mənˈkɒm ə nər /

noun

plural

gentlemen-commoners

1. (formerly) a member of a class of commoners enjoying special privileges at Oxford University.

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Etymology

Origin of gentleman-commoner

First recorded in 1680–90

Example Sentences

At the age of fifteen he was entered as a gentleman-commoner at Christchurch, Oxford.

From Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 3 A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History by Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis)

You know I lead no life of self-indulgence; and the necessary expenses, even as a gentleman-commoner, are less than you would suppose, unless you had tried matters as closely as I have.”

From Tales from Blackwood Volume 4 by Various

The apostasy of a gentleman-commoner would of course be for a time the chief subject of conversation in the common room of Magdalene.

From Life of Johnson, Volume 2 1765-1776 by Hill, George Birkbeck Norman

Of course, I play the gentleman-commoner no longer; I shall descend to the plain stuff gown.”

From Tales from Blackwood Volume 4 by Various

We got a conversion speech from a Christ Church gentleman-commoner, named Alston, which produced an excellent effect, and the division was favourable beyond anything we had hoped—ninety-four to thirty-eight.

From The Life of William Ewart Gladstone, Vol. 1 (of 3) 1809-1859 by Morley, John