gratus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈɡraː.tʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɡraː.tus]^[1]

Forms

grātus (feminine grāta, neuter grātum, comparative grātior, superlative grātissimus, adverb grātē); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *gʷrāto- (“grateful”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *gʷr̥H-tó- (“praised (in song)”), from the root *gʷerH- (“to welcome, praise”).^[2][1]

Cognate with Oscan brateis (“of grace, favour”),^[2] and with Sanskrit गृणाति (gṛṇā́ti, “praises, welcomes”).^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus onwards,^[2][4] whose character says “I ought to have a grateful heart towards him”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant grateful or thankful, as Terence's “you will call me mindful and grateful” and Cicero's remark that grateful men are rare.^[3] Of kindnesses it meant welcome and deserving thanks, and of things and people welcome, acceptable or popular, as a law grata populo, “welcome to the people”.^[3] It also meant pleasant or charming, as Horace's “pleasing song”.^[3]

Medieval Latin also used it for joyful,^[5] and a noun gratum meaning favour or consent appears in the 10th century.^[6][4] It survives as French gré and as Italian, Spanish and Portuguese grado and grato.^[1] English grace comes from its derivative gratia, and grateful was formed in the 1550s from an obsolete adjective grate.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for grateful and welcome.^[3][4]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of a welcome gift.^[3][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a law welcome to the people.^[3][4]
• 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of a pleasing song.^[3][4]
• late 12th century – English grace is first recorded.^[7]
• 1550s – English grateful is first recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Grateful, thankful.^[3][8]
2. Deserving thanks.^[3]
3. Welcome, acceptable, popular.^[3][1]
4. Pleasant, charming; dear.^[3][1]
5. (Medieval Latin) Joyful.^[5]

Word family

• grātēs
• grātia
• gratificus
• grātor
• ingrātus
• pergrātus
• grātē
• grātificor
• grātitūdō

Related words

• grātiōsus
• grātīs
• grātulātiō
• grātulātōrius
• grātulor
• English grace
• English grateful
• English gratitude

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes gratum, what is welcome because we value it and owe thanks for it, from iucundum, what is pleasant in itself.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper