Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - gentry

 noun  (plural gentries)  Etymology: Middle English gentrie, alteration of gentrise  Date: 14th century  1.  a. obsolete the qualities appropriate to a person of gentle birth; especially courtesy  b. the condition or rank of a gentleman  2.  a. upper or ruling class ; aristocracy  b. a class whose members are entitled to bear a coat of arms though not of noble rank; especially the landed proprietors having such status  3. people of a specified class or kind ; folks no real heroes or heroines among the academic ~ — R. G. Hanvey