Gravitate
/ˈɡræv.ɪ.teɪt/noun
To move or tend toward something by natural attraction or inclination.
Did you know?Gravitate comes from Latin *gravitas* meaning “weight” or “heaviness,” the same root behind words like *grave* and *gravity*, where “seriousness” and “weight” were once the same idea.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷerə-
“to be heavy, heavy”
Latin
Latin
gravis
“heavy, weighty, serious”
Latin
Latin
gravitas
“weight, heaviness; seriousness, dignity”
Late Latin
Latin
gravitāre
“to be heavy; to exert weight”
17th Century
English
gravitate
“to move under the influence of gravity; to tend naturally toward something”