gravitas

See also: gravitás

English

WOTD – 17 November 2007

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin gravitās (“weight, heaviness”). Doublet of gravity.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹævɪtɑs/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹæv.ɪ.tɑːs/, /ˈɡɹæv.ɪ.tæs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

gravitas (uncountable)

1. Seriousness in bearing or manner; dignity.
   • 2020 January 7, Katie Glueck; Shane Goldmacher, “Joe Biden, Seeking Commander-in-Chief Moment, Denounces Trump’s Iran Escalation”, in The New York Times‎^[1], ISSN 0362-4331:

     “Because he refuses to level with the American people about the dangers which he has placed American troops and our diplomatic corps, personnel and civilians, as well as our partners and allies, or demonstrated even a modicum of presidential gravitas, I will attempt to do that,” said Mr. Biden, who is one of 14 candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

2. (figuratively) Substance, weight.
   • 2013 August 2, Paul Krugman, “Sex, Money and Gravitas”, in The New York Times‎^[2], ISSN 0362-4331:

     The other campaign against Ms. Yellen has been subtler, involving repeated suggestions — almost always off the record — that she lacks the “gravitas” to lead the Fed. What does that mean? […] Sorry, but it’s hard to escape the conclusion that gravitas, in this context, mainly means possessing a Y chromosome.

   • 2014 September 7, Natalie Angier, “The Moon comes around again”, in The New York Times‎^[3]:

     Unlike most moons of the solar system, ours has the heft, the gravitational gravitas, to pull itself into a sphere.

Usage notes

Sometimes used in a jocular or stilted sense.

Related terms

• gravitate
• gravity

 

Translations

Translations

• Polish: powaga (pl) f

Anagrams

• stravaig, vagarist

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Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡraˈvitas/

Verb

gravitas

1. present of graviti

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French

Pronunciation

• Homophones: gravita, gravitât

Verb

gravitas

1. second-person singular past historic of graviter

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Ido

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡraˈvitas/

Verb

gravitas

1. present of gravitar

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Latin

Etymology

From gravis (“heavy”) +‎ -tās.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈɡra.wi.taːs/, [ˈɡra.wɪ.t̪aːs̠]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈɡra.vi.tas/, [ˈɡraː.vi.t̪as]

Noun

gravitās f (genitive gravitātis); third declension

1. weight, heaviness
2. gravity, seriousness
3. severity, harshness

   gravitās caelī ― severity of the weather

4. importance, presence, influence
5. pregnancy

   Synonym: graviditās

6. unwholesomeness, heaviness (in affecting one's health)
7. fetidness, rankness, offensiveness
8. (New Latin, physics) gravity

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	gravitās	gravitātēs
Genitive	gravitātis	gravitātum
Dative	gravitātī	gravitātibus
Accusative	gravitātem	gravitātēs
Ablative	gravitāte	gravitātibus
Vocative	gravitās	gravitātēs

Related terms

• graviter
• gravitō

 

Descendants

• Aromanian: griutati
• Catalan: gravetat
• → Dutch: graviteit
• → English: gravitas, gravity
• → French: gravité
  • → Romanian: gravitate
• → Italian: gravità
• Old French: grieté
• → Portuguese: gravidade
• Romanian: greutate
• Spanish: gravedad

References

• gravitas in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• gravitas in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• gravitas in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• gravitas in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[4], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • healthy climate: caelum salūbre, salubritas caeli (opp. grave, gravitas)
    

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Portuguese

Verb

gravitas

1. second-person singular (tu) present indicative of gravitar

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɾaˈbitas/, [ɡɾa.ˈβ̝i.t̪as]

Verb

gravitas

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) present indicative form of gravitar.