English
aggravate
Aggravate comes from Latin aggravātus ‘weighed down’, from gravis ‘heavy’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷreh₂-‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷréh₂us‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gʷraus‘heavy’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravis‘heavy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravō‘weigh down’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaggravō‘to add to the weight of, make worse, oppress, annoy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaggravātus‘weighed down’perfect passive participle of aggravō
- Englishearliest quotation 1595aggravate
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷreh₂-‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷréh₂us‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gʷraus‘heavy’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravis‘heavy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravō‘weigh down’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaggravō‘to add to the weight of, make worse, oppress, annoy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaggravātus‘weighed down’perfect passive participle of aggravō
- Englishearliest quotation 1595aggravate
Earliest quotation: 1595, The Life and Death of King Richard the Second: “Once more, the more to aggrauate the note, With…”
Equivalent to ag- + grave ‘heavy’ + -ate ‘verb suffix’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd ‘near, at’
Proto-Italic *ad ‘toward, to, on, up to, for’
Latin ad ‘to, towards’
English ag-
Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- ‘to dig, scratch, scrape’
Proto-Germanic *grabą
Proto-West Germanic *grab
Old English græf ‘cave, grave, trench’
Middle English grave ‘grave, burial’
English grave
first attested first attested in 1471 (as stated in the etymology)
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- ‘heavy’
bar, guru, brigadier, brio, brigand, gravitate, 18 more
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂us ‘heavy’
brutal, brute, brut, baryon, barite, 15 more
through Latin gravis ‘heavy’
grief, grave, gravity, gravitation, gravitas, 11 more
through Latin gravō ‘weigh down’
Today it means
verb To make (an offence) worse or more severe; to increase in offensiveness or heinousness.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- / aggravate