gratuitous

/ɡɹəˈtuːətəs/gruh-TOO-uh-tuhs

/ɡɹəˈtuətəs/gruh-TOO-uh-tuhs

Meaningfreely given

Common meaning: done without good reason

gratuitpleasing; thankfulLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 827 · scan
ousadjective ending: full of, having

Journey through time

Latingratuitus‘freely given’source
Englishgratuitous‘done without good reason’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin grātus ‘pleasing’.

Roots

grātus, -a, -um Latin “pleasing; thankful”

Related words

congratulate grateful gratefully gratefulness gratis gratuity ungrateful

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