LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

grātuītus

grātuītus (feminine grātuīta, neuter grātuītum, adverb grātuītō)
Classical[ɡraː.tuˈiː.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[ɡra.tuˈiː.tus]

Meaning

  1. adjectivefreely given, free, gratuitous
  2. adjectivevain, fruitless, futile

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativegrātuītusgrātuītagrātuītum
genitivegrātuītīgrātuītaegrātuītī
dativegrātuītōgrātuītaegrātuītō
accusativegrātuītumgrātuītamgrātuītum
ablativegrātuītōgrātuītāgrātuītō
vocativegrātuītegrātuītagrātuītum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativegrātuītīgrātuītaegrātuīta
genitivegrātuītōrumgrātuītārumgrātuītōrum
dativegrātuītīsgrātuītīsgrātuītīs
accusativegrātuītōsgrātuītāsgrātuīta
ablativegrātuītīsgrātuītīsgrātuītīs
vocativegrātuītīgrātuītaegrātuīta

grātŭītus (grātŭĭtum, Stat. S. 1, 6, 16), a, um, adj. gratia,
I. that is done with, out pay, reward, or profit; free, spontaneous, voluntary, gratuitous (class.): ea (examina apium) vel aere parta vel gratuita contingunt, Col. 9, 8, 1: quid? liberalitas gratuitane est an mercenaria? si sine praemio benigna est, gratuita: si cum mercede, conducta, Cic. Leg. 1, 18, 48; cf.: probitas gratuita, id. Fin. 2, 31, 99: hominum caritas et amicitia gratuita est, id. N. D. 1, 44, 122: ne gratuita quidem suffragia, purchased, id. Planc. 22, 54; cf.: comitia gratuita, i. e. at which no gratuities were distributed to voters, id. Att. 4, 15, 8; id. Q. Fr. 2, 15, b, 4: pecunia, i. e. without interest, Plin. Ep. 3, 11, 2: cum debitor gratuita pecunia utatur, Paul. Sent. 2, 5, 1; so, usus pecuniae, Suet. Aug. 41: milies sestertio proposito, id. Tib. 48; and perh. also, fenus, lending without interest, id. Caes. 27: universi milites gratuitam et sine frumento stipendioque operam (obtulerunt), id. ib. 68: cadaverum et ruderum gratuita egestio, id. Ner. 38: gratuita in Circo loca, free places, id. Calig. 26: subsellia, free benches, id. Ner. 17: navis, a free ship or boat, Sen. Ben. 6, 19: furor, innate, spontaneous, Liv. 2, 42, 6: crudelitas, unprovoked, id. 3, 37, 8: praeterita parricidia, without effect, in vain, id. 1, 47, 1: AVGVSTALIS, without pay, Inscr. Orell. 3918; SO, SACERDOS, Inscr. ap. Maff. Mus. Ver. 80, 3: largis gratuitum cadit rapinis, Stat. S. 1, 6, 16: odium aut est ex offensa, aut gratuitum, unprovoked, Sen. Ep. 105, 3 (al. gratuito).—Hence, adv.: grātŭīto, without pay or profit, for naught, gratis, gratuitously: hic (Polygnotus) et Athenis porticum, quae Poecile vocatur, gratuito (pinxit), cum partem ejus Micon mercede pingeret, Plin. 35, 9, 35, § 59; Tac. A. 11, 22 fin.: neque tamen eloquentiam gratuito contingere, without cost, id. ib. 11, 7: multorum causas et non gravate et gratuito defendentis, Cic. Off. 2, 19, 66: cum mediocribus multis gratuito civitatem in Graecia homines impertiebant, for no particular reason, id. Arch. 5, 10; cf.: ne per otium torpescerent manus aut animus, gratuito potius malus atque crudelis erat, Sall. C. 16, 3 Kritz: gratuito nemo bonus est, id. H. 1, 48, 9.

Origins

From *grātu- (“grace(?)”) + -ītus (adjective-forming suffix), from the root of grātia (“favor”) and grātus (“showing favor”) (reconstructed as Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH-) + the action noun suffix *-tus. The u-stem action noun is attested in Celtic languages; see Proto-Celtic *brātus. Compare the formation of fortuītus.

Descendants
  • Catalangratuït
  • Englishgratuitous
  • Frenchgratuit
  • Italiangratuito
  • Occitangratuit
  • Portuguesegratuito
  • Romaniangratuit
  • Spanishgratuito
  • Galiciangratuíto
  • Piedmontesegratùit

In English words that came into English from grātuītus

  • gratuitousgrātuītus
  • gratuitygratuitas

Quick answers

What does grātuītus mean in Latin?
grātuītus, a adjective, means “freely given, free, gratuitous; vain, fruitless, futile”.
How do you pronounce grātuītus?
In classical Latin, [ɡraː.tuˈiː.tʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ɡra.tuˈiː.tus].