Langimage
English

gravitationally

|grav-i-ta-tion-al-ly|

C1

🇺🇸

/ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃənəl/

🇬🇧

/ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃ(ə)nəl/

(gravitational)

related to gravity

Base FormPluralNounAdverb
gravitationalgravitiesgravitygravitationally
Etymology
Etymology Information

'gravitationally' originates from English, built from the adjective 'gravitational' (gravity + -al) plus the adverbial suffix '-ly'; 'gravity' itself ultimately comes from Latin 'gravitas' meaning 'weight' or 'heaviness'.

Historical Evolution

'gravitational' developed in English from the noun 'gravity' (Middle English/Old French 'gravité'), which in turn came from Latin 'gravitas'; the adverbial form 'gravitationally' was formed by adding the suffix '-ly' to the adjective.

Meaning Changes

Initially the Latin root 'gravitas' meant 'weight' or 'heaviness'; over time the sense broadened to the physical force of attraction between masses ('gravity'), and the derived adjective/adverb came to mean 'relating to that force'.

Meanings by Part of Speech

Adverb 1

in a manner relating to, caused by, or involving gravity (the attractive force between masses).

The spacecraft was perturbed gravitationally by the passing asteroid.

Synonyms

Antonyms

non-gravitationallyindependently of gravity

Last updated: 2025/10/30 17:10