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grates

Etymology and origin of the Latin word grates

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Confidence
Probable
Formation
Inherited
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*gʷerH-)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈɡraː.teːs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɡraː.tes][1]

Forms

grātēs f pl (genitive grātium); third declension[1] It is used only in the plural, mostly in the accusative, and Tacitus has the ablative grātibus.[2][3]

Etymology

It is related to grātus “pleasing, thankful”.[2][3] The OLD takes it to be probably cognate with Sanskrit गीर् (gī́r, “hymn of praise”) and Lithuanian girti (“to praise”), and Köbler traces the root to Proto-Indo-European ⟨*gʷerH-⟩ “to praise”.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, in grātēs habēre “to be thankful”.[2][5] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant thanks, especially those given to the gods, in phrases such as grātēs agere “to give thanks” in Cicero.[2][3][5] Lewis & Short note that grātiās agere was the usual form for thanks to people.[3]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant thanks.[6] British Medieval Latin used it for thanks rendered to God and to others, as in Gildas.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus has grātēs habēre.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero has grātēs agere.[5][4]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses the ablative grātibus.[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Thanks, especially to the gods, grātēs agere, to give thanks.[2][3]

Word family

  • grātuītus
  • grātulor

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Grates.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/grates. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·