English
gravity
Gravity comes, possibly via French gravité, from Latin gravitās ‘weight, heaviness’, from gravis ‘heavy’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- ‘heavy’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷreh₂-‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷréh₂us‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gʷrausreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravis‘heavy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravitās‘weight, heaviness’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentgravité‘seriousness; gravity’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1533gravity
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*gʷrausreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravis‘heavy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravitās‘weight, heaviness’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentgravité‘seriousness; gravity’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1533gravity
Earliest quotation: 1533, Thomas More, The Debellacyon of Salem and Bizance […]. Chapter XIIII.: “The iudges parte is to ſée that the puniſhemente…”
Formed from grave ‘serious’ + -ity
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 The English word was first used figuratively, and gained the senses relating to physical qualities in the 17th century (as stated in the etymology)
The story
Gravitās is derived from gravis (‘heavy; grave, serious’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- (‘heavy’)) + -tās (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns indicating states of being). The English word was first used figuratively, and gained the senses relating to physical qualities in the 17th century.
Linked words
pairs
- gravity and guru both from Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂us ‘heavy’
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- ‘heavy’
bar, brigadier, brio, aggravation, brigand, 20 more
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂us ‘heavy’
brutal, brute, brut, baryon, barite, 17 more
through Latin gravis ‘heavy’
grief, grave, grieve, grievous, grievance, aggravate, 13 more
Today it means
noun Of an activity such as a ceremony, a person's conduct, etc.: the quality of being deeply serious and solemn, especially in a dignified manner; seriousness, solemnity; (countable, archaic or obsolete) a serious or solemn thing, such as a matter, a comment, etc.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- / gravity