Gentle

Gentle \JEN-tl\ , adjective;
1. Kind, amiable
2. Moderate, gradual
3. Characteristic of good birth or family
4. Soft, low
5. Archaic: Noble, chivalrous
verb;
1. To tame
2. To calm, pacify
3. To ennoble, dignify

Gentle dates to the early 13th century with the meaning "well-born" from Old French gentil ("high-born, noble, of good family"). The Old French word derives from Latin gentilis ("of the same family or clan") from gens ("race, clan"), which comes from the root of gignere ("beget"). The word ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European base *gen- ("produce").

I guess that people who were "well-born" were assumed to have a certain nature, so that's where the modern definitions came from? What do you think?