gratulatio

Forms

grātulātiō f (genitive grātulātiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from grātulor (“to congratulate, give thanks”) with -tiō.^[2][3][4][5] The verb is built on grātus (“pleasing, grateful”), which de Vaan derives from Proto-Italic *gʷrāto- (“grateful”) and Proto-Indo-European *gʷrH-to- (“praised (in a song)”).^[6] Cognate with Oscan brateís (“of grace”) and Sanskrit गृणाति (gṛṇā́ti, “praises”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler gives Cicero as its first author,^[5] who tells how the statue of Diana was set back in its old place amid great thanksgiving of the citizens.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It is thanksgiving to the gods, as in Cicero's speeches against Verres, and congratulation, as his “o wretched day on which he was declared consul, o congratulations out of season!”.^[2][3] It is also rejoicing or self-congratulation, and a cause for joy, as Cicero's “you did not delay our enjoying the greatest joy and rejoicing”.^[2][3][1]

Augustine distinguishes thanksgiving from prayer.^[4] Church Latin glosses it “rejoicing”, and Medieval Latin “rejoicing, happiness”.^[7][8]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero of thanksgiving and congratulation.^[2][5]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine contrasts it with prayer.^[4][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. Thanksgiving (to the gods).^[2][4]
2. Congratulation.^[2][3][1]
3. Rejoicing, joy; a cause for joy.^{[2][3][1][7][8]}

Related words

• grātulor
• grātus
• grātia
• laetitia

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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 Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill