noun · femininethird declension
gravitās
gravitās f (genitive gravitātis)
Classical[ˈɡra.wɪ.taːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈɡraː.vi.tas]
Meaning
- weight, heaviness
- gravity, seriousness
- severity, harshness
gravitās caelī
severity of the weather - importance, presence, influence
- pregnancy
- unwholesomeness, heaviness (in affecting one's health)
- fetidness, rankness, offensiveness
- New Latingravity
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
pondus, vīs ponderisgravitās -ātis (f) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 5
weighty soul
gravitās -tātis — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 26
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Moles · Onus · Pondus · Gravitas
Moles and onus denote the heaviness of an object in its disadvantageous sense; moles (from μῶλος or μόχλος) absolutely, as unwieldiness, so far as through its greatness it is inconvenient to move, like ὄγκος; onus, relatively to its pressure, so far as it is irksome to the person carrying it, as a burden, φόρτος; whereas pondus (from pendere) in an advantageous sense, as force and strength, like weight, ἄχθος; lastly, gravitas (from γεραός) unites both senses, and sometimes denotes the irksome heaviness, sometimes the effective weightiness, like βάρος. (iv. 223.)
Severitas · Gravitas · Strenuitas
Severitas (αὐηρότης) means earnestness, so far as it is seated in the mind; gravitas (from γεραιός) so far as it makes an impression on others; strenuitas (from στρηνής, δραίνω) so far as it shows itself in action. (ii. 129.)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | gravitās | gravitātēs |
| genitive | gravitātis | gravitātum |
| dative | gravitātī | gravitātibus |
| accusative | gravitātem | gravitātēs |
| ablative | gravitāte | gravitātibus |
| vocative | gravitās | gravitātēs |
grăvĭtas, ātis, f. gravis,
I. weight, heaviness.
I. Lit., in gen.:
omnibus ejus (terrae) partibus in medium vergentibus nihil interrumpat, quo labefactari possit tanta contentio gravitatis et ponderum, Cic. N. D. 2, 45, 116; cf.: per inane moveri gravitate et pondere, id. Fat. 11, 24; Lucr. 3, 1054; cf. also: cuncta necesse est Aut gravitate sua ferri primordia rerum, Aut, etc., id. 2, 84: nostros propter gravitatem armorum, quod, etc., Caes. B. G. 5, 16, 1: tum etiam gravitate et tarditate navium impediebantur, id. B. C. 1, 58, 3: ignava nequeunt gravitate moveri, Ov. M. 2, 821: me mea defendit gravitas (corresp. to moles and pondus), id. ib. 9, 39.—B. Transf.
1. Of smell, rankness, offensiveness, fetidness:
quorundam odorum suavitati gravitas inest, Plin. 21, 7, 18, § 37: a quibusdam vocatur cynozolon propter gravitatem odoris (shortly before: odore gravissimo), id. 22, 18, 21, § 47: animae, id. 20, 9, 35, § 91: halitus, id. 30, 6, 15, § 44: oris, id. 28, 12, 51, § 190.—2. Of bodily condition, health, severity, vehemence, violence, unwholesomeness; heaviness, dulness, faintness, sickness:
corpore vix sustineo gravitatem hujus caeli, Cic. Att. 11, 22, 2: caeli aquarumque, Liv. 23, 34, 11: loci, id. 25, 26, 13: morbi, Cic. N. D. 3, 31, 76: pressus gravitate soporis, Ov. M. 15, 21; cf. id. ib. 11, 618: an quod corporis gravitatem et dolorem animo judicamus, animi morbum corpore non sentimus? painful, diseased condition, Cic. Tusc. 3, 1, 2 Kühn.; cf. membrorum, id. Fin. 4, 12, 31; and Lucr. 3, 478: capitis, Plin. 27, 12, 105, § 130: aurium, id. 20, 11, 44, § 115; cf. auditus, id. 23, 4, 42, § 85: audiendi, id. 28, 11, 48, § 176: oris et dentium, id. 37, 10, 54, § 143.—3. Pressure of price, dearness:
annonae, Tac. A. 6, 13; 11, 4.—4. The burden of pregnancy:
tendebat gravitas uterum mihi, Ov. M. 9, 287 (cf. onus, id. ib. 10, 504). —II. Trop.
A. In a bad sense, heaviness, slowness, severity:
gaudere gravitate linguae sonoque vocis agresti, Cic. de Or. 3, 11, 42: injuria gravitate tutior est, severity, cruelty, Sall. Orat. Licin. (Hist. Fragm. 3, 22 Gerl.): fessi diuturnitate et gravitate belli, Liv. 31, 7, 3: crudelitatem quoque gravitati addidit, id. 24, 45, 13 Weissenb. —B. In a good sense, weight, dignity, importance, seriousness, gravity (syn.: magnitudo, dignitas, auctoritas, pondus): hos cum Suevi propter amplitudinem gravitatemque civitatis finibus expellere non potuissent, importance, i. e. power, Caes. B. G. 4, 3, 4; cf. Cic. Agr. 2, 32:
omnium sententiarum gravitate, omnium verborum ponderibus est utendum, importance, weight, id. de Or. 2, 17, 72; cf. id. Tusc. 5, 12, 34: genus hoc sermonum positum in hominum veterum auctoritate plus videtur habere gravitatis, id. Lael. 1, 4: quanta illa, di immortales, fuit gravitas! quanta in oratione majestas! id. ib. 25, 96: tristitia et in omni re severitas habet illa quidem gravitatem, id. ib. 18, 66; cf.: erat in illo viro comitate condita gravitas, id. de Sen. 4, 10: gravitate mixtus lepos, id. Rep. 2, 1; cf. also id. Q. Fr. 3, 9, 1: illud me praeclare admones, cum illum videro, ne nimis indulgenter et ut cum gravitate potius loquar, id. Att. 9, 9, 2; 9, 19, 3; id. Fam. 5, 16, 5: de virtute et gravitate Caesaris, quam in summo dolore adhibuisset, id. Q. Fr. 3, 8, 3: personae gravitatem intuentes, id. Tusc. 2, 21, 49; cf.: ego has partes lenitatis et misericordiae semper egi libenter: illam vero gravitatis severitatisque personam non appetivi, id. Mur. 3, 6: haec genera dicendi in senibus gravitatem non habent, id. Brut. 95, 326; id. Rep. 1, 10 fin.: majestas quam vultus gravitasque oris prae se ferebat, Liv. 5, 41, 8: (senarius) quantum accipit celeritatis, tantum gravitatis amittit, Quint. 9, 4, 140.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
gravitās ātis, f
gravis, weight, heaviness : <*>er inane moveri gravitate: navium, Cs.: ignavā <*>equeunt gravitate moveri, O.— Pregnancy , O.— Unwholesomeness, oppressiveness, severity, heaviness, <*>ulness : caeli: loci, L.: morbi: soporis, O.: seniis, O.: annonae, dearness , Ta.: odoris, disagree<*>bleness , Ta.— Disease, sickness : corporis: mem<*>rorum.—Fig., heaviness, slowness : linguae.— Harshness, severity : belli, L.: crudelitatem gravi<*>ati addidit, L.—Of things, weight, importance : <*>rovinciae Galliae: civitatis, Cs.: sententiarum: versūs gravitate minores, H.—Of persons, weight, dignity, gravity, presence, influence : inauditā gravitate praeditus: comitate condīta gravitas: cum gravitate loqui: oris, L.: Incolumi gravitate, without loss of dignity , H.
Origins
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷreh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷréh₂us
- Proto-Italic*gʷraus
- Latingravitās
Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin gravitās From gravis (“heavy”) + -tās.
Descendants
- Catalangravetat
- Englishgravitas
- Englishgravity
- Frenchgravité
- Romaniangravitatefrom French gravité
- GermanGravität
- Italiangrevità
- Italiangravità
- Portuguesegravidade
- Romaniangreutate
In English words that came into English from gravitās
- gravitygravitās
- gravitasgravitās