Etymologically
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gratus

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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
  • 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