gentleman is a member of the nobility or someone with noble gestures. The word arose from the contraction of the expression "filho d'algo", used in the region of Portugal and Spain at the time of the courts.
A "son of something", and later a nobleman, was one who had some degree of nobility. It was one of the titles held by the nobles of the Portuguese court, and later it occurred at the Brazilian court as well. The title of noble was granted by the King or Emperor and then passed on in a hereditary way in the family.
In modern Portuguese, the nobleman is one who presents refined, elegant manners and costumes. It is said of a man in classic clothes, such as a suit and tie, for example: "Carlos is a gentleman, always with his tie lined, jacket and shoes".
Attitudes of nobility and generosity are also associated with the term nobleman: "He was a true nobleman paying for the entire renovation of the orphanage."
A nobleman can also be called a person who lives on income, who does not work. In the style of the nobility descendants of the Iberian nobility. "João enjoys the life of a nobleman, he inherited millions from his father and lives only on the income of his fortune".
Fidalgo is one of the characters in the Auto da Barca do Inferno, a play by Gil Vicente. In the theatrical text, Gil Vicente talks ironically about Portuguese society in the 16th century, with the character representing the nobility being an important part of social criticism.