Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gravitas” come from?

Gravitas comes from Latin gravitas, derived from the Latin adjective gravis meaning "heavy," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷréh₂us with the abstract noun suffix -teh₂.

gravitas (English): Seriousness in bearing or manner; dignity;...

Definitions

  1. Seriousness in bearing or manner; dignity;...

Ancestry of “gravitas”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latingravitās—
2Latin-tās—
3Proto-Indo-European-teh₂tsUsed to form nouns representing state of being
4Proto-Indo-European-teh₂Used to form nouns representing state of being
5Proto-Indo-European-tósCreates verbal adjectives from verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tós →