Word of the Day

: January 23, 2016

gravitate

verb GRAV-uh-tayt

What It Means

1 : to move under the influence of gravitation

2 a : to move toward something

b : to be drawn or attracted especially by natural inclination

gravitate in Context

After we were finished with our second helpings of chili and cornbread, we naturally gravitated toward the dessert table to check out the sweeter offerings.

"Consumers gravitating toward large cars are frequently lured in by the perception of security rooted in the physical size." — Benson Kong, MotorTrend.com, 16 Dec. 2015

Did You Know?

Gravity, gravitation, and gravitate descend from the Latin gravitas, meaning "weight." The first to arrive on the scene was gravity, which appeared in the early 16th century. (Originally meaning "dignity or sobriety of bearing," it quickly came to mean "weight" as well.) Next came gravitation (used to describe the force of gravity) and gravitate—both mid-17th century arrivals. Gravitate once meant "to apply weight or pressure," but that use is now obsolete. In the late 17th century, it was recorded in the sense "to move under the effect of gravitation." It then acquired a more general sense of "to move toward something" (such as toward a specific location), and finally a metaphorical sense of "to be attracted" (as toward a person or a vocation).