congratulate (v.)

"address with expressions of sympathetic pleasure," 1540s, from Latin congratulatus, past participle of congratulari "wish joy," from assimilated form of com "together, with" (see con-) + gratulari "give thanks, show joy," from gratus "agreeable" (from suffixed form of PIE root *gwere- (2) "to favor"). Related: Congratulated; congratulating; congratulable.

also from 1540s

Entries linking to congratulate

congratulatory (adj.)

"conveying congratulations," 1520s; see congratulate + -ory.

con-

word-forming element meaning "together, with," sometimes merely intensive; it is the form of com- used in Latin before consonants except -b-, -p-, -l-, -m-, or -r-. In native English formations (such as costar), co- tends to be used where Latin would use con-.

*gwere- (2)

gwerə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to favor."

It forms all or part of: agree; bard (n.); congratulate; congratulation; disgrace; grace; gracious; grateful; gratify; gratis; gratitude; gratuitous; gratuity; gratulation; ingrate; ingratiate.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit grnati "sings, praises, announces;" Avestan gar- "to praise;" Lithuanian giriu, girti "to praise, celebrate;" Old Celtic bardos "poet, singer."

Trends of congratulate

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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pride

Middle English prede, from late Old English pryto, Kentish prede, Mercian pride "unreasonable self-esteem, especially as one of the deadly sins; haughtiness, overbearing treatment of others; pomp, love of display," from prud (see proud (adj.)). There is debate whether Scandinavia

plume

late 14c., "a feather" (especially a large and conspicuous one), from Old French plume "soft feather, down; feather bed," and directly from Latin pluma "a small soft feather, down; the first beard," from PIE root *pleus- "to pluck; a feather, fleece" (source of Old English fleos

compliment

"act or expression of civility, respect, or regard" (or, as Johnson defines it, "An act, or expression of civility, usually understood to include some hypocrisy, and to mean less than it declares"), 1570s, complement, ultimately from Latin complementum "that which fills up or com

felicitate

Meaning "congratulate, compliment upon a happy event" is from 1630s. Related: Felicitated; felicitating....

felicitation

Congratulation, like its verb congratulate, implies an actual feeling of pleasure in another's happiness or good fortune;...

dystopia

may be permitted, as one who, in common with many of my betters, have been subjected to the charge of being Utopian, to congratulate...

triumph

late 14c., "success in battle, conquest," also "spiritual victory" and "a procession celebrating victory in war," from Old French triumphe (12c., Modern French triomphe), from Latin triumphus "an achievement, a success; celebratory procession for a victorious general or admiral,"

wish

Old English wyscan "to wish, cherish a desire," from Proto-Germanic *wunsk- (source also of Old Norse œskja, Danish ønske, Swedish önska, Middle Dutch wonscen, Dutch wensen, Old High German wunsken, German wunschen "to wish"), from PIE root *wen- (1) "to desire, strive for." Rela

preen

late 14c., of a person, "to trim, to dress up," probably a variation of Middle English proynen, proinen, of a bird, "trim the feather with the beak;" of a person, "to dress or groom oneself carefully" (see prune (v.)). Middle English prene "to pin, pierce, fasten with a pin" prob

aspire

"strive for, seek eagerly to attain, long to reach," c. 1400, aspiren, from Old French aspirer "aspire to; inspire; breathe, breathe on" (12c.), from Latin aspirare "to breathe upon, blow upon, to breathe," also, in transferred senses, "to be favorable to, assist; to climb up to,

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updated on March 02, 2018

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Dictionary entries near congratulate

conglomerate

conglomeration

conglutinate

Congo

congrats

congratulate

congratulation

congratulations

congratulatory

congregate

congregation