Gratiate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Archaically, to give someone pleasure or satisfaction ; to show gratitude by offering thanks to another person
2. An obsolete verb meaning to delight or content someone ; to make a formal expression of thanks or appreciation
3. Old-fashioned usage meaning to please or gratify another ; to offer words of thanks or grateful acknowledgment

Etymology: Latin "gratia" meant favour, goodwill, or thanks, and it is the root of a whole family of English words, including "grace," "gratitude," and "grateful." The Latin verb "gratiari" built on that sense, meaning to oblige someone or to show gratitude, and English "gratiate" most likely comes from it. The English verb means to please or gratify someone by doing them a kindness. It is so rare that it survives mostly in dictionaries and older writing. Its close relative "gratify" came into English through Old French "gratifier," from Latin "gratificari," which shares the same ancestry and nearly the same sense. "Gratify" became an everyday word, while "gratiate" remained a curiosity.