English edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from French acte gratuit.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈækt ɡɹætˈwi/

Noun edit

acte gratuit (plural actes gratuits)

  1. An impulsive act lacking motive.
    • 1971, Angela Carter, Shaking a Leg, Vintage (2013), page 294:
      He was a superlative showman and, if his career ended at the age of forty-five in an acte gratuit, he had, after all, been compared to André Gide.

References edit

  • The Chambers Dictionary, 10th edition, 2006.