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Glite Dictionary
first gentleman

first gentleman

1 7.2
Husband of a woman leader who acts as the official host at state events
  • noun
  • /fɜrst ˈdʒɛntəlmən/
  • Formal
translation icon : primer caballero
  • As the first gentleman, he hosted many state dinners at the White House.

Examples

  • During her presidency, her husband took on the role of first gentleman and organized charity events.

  • He is the first gentleman of America.

    The Gorgeous Hussy (1936)

  • The public was excited to see how the first gentleman would influence social events.

Synonyms

First Bloke
vsfirst gentleman
  • Australian
8.9

The husband or male partner of a country's leader who is often known to the public

is the husband of a female chief executive who serves as official host

Surface Forms

first gentleman singular
first gentlemen plural

Morphology

first + gentleman

The meaning 'the husband of a female chief executive' is directly and predictably built from 'first' (primary/official) + 'gentleman' (a man), functioning as the male counterpart to the well-known title 'first lady'. This title formation is compositional and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The term first gentleman comes from the older phrase first lady; when a woman becomes president or governor, her 'husband' takes the same public role. Because he often acts as the 'official host' at state events, the phrase means the leader's husband who fills that public job.