Felicitate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To congratulate or express good wishes to someone upon a happy occasion or achievement
2. To express joy or offer congratulations to someone for a significant achievement or a positive event in their life
3. To convey good sentiments or celebrate an individual’s success or joyous occasion with approval and encouragement

Etymology: Felicitate comes from the Latin "fēlīx," meaning "happy" or "fortunate," the same root that gives English "felicity." The Romans built a verb from it, "fēlīcitāre," which meant to make someone happy or to call someone fortunate. Its past participle, "fēlīcitātus," passed into English as the basis of the verb we use today, so the word has always been tied to good fortune, not merely to offering polite words. The core idea is thus not congratulation as such but the making of someone else's life happier or more fortunate. The French "féliciter" carries the same sense of wishing joy to another, and English took the word with that connection intact. The verb sense of expressing congratulations is what remains in common use, so the word still points back to the Latin notion of happiness being something you can wish upon another person.

Synonyms: congratulate, commend, celebrate, praise, applaud