gratuitously

English

WOTD – 14 October 2009

Etymology

From gratuitous +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɡɹəˈtjuː.ɪ.təs.li/, /ɡɹəˈtʃuː.ɪ.təs.li/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ɡɹəˈtu.ə.təs.li/, /ɡɹəˈtju.ə.təs.li/

Adverb

gratuitously (comparative more gratuitously, superlative most gratuitously)

1. Freely; in the manner of a gift, without being earned.
   • 1854, Henry David Thoreau, chapter 1, in Walden:

     We should feed and clothe him gratuitously sometimes, and recruit him with our cordials, before we judge of him.

2. In a manner not demanded by the circumstances, without reason, justification, cause, or proof.
   • 1881, Samuel Tolver Preston, “On Action at a Distance”, in Philosophical Magazine, 15:38-39:

     Secondly, Mr. Browne concludes, apparently rather gratuitously, on page 441 as follows […]

Translations

freely; in the manner of a gift

• Catalan: gratuïtament (ca)
• Dutch: vrijelijk (nl)
• Finnish: ilmaiseksi (fi)
• French: gratuitement (fr)
• Galician: gratuitamente
• German: umsonst (de), unentgeltlich (de)
• Italian: gratuitamente (it)
• Russian: беспла́тно (ru) (besplátno), да́ром (ru) (dárom)
• Spanish: gratuitamente (es)
• Turkish: ödül olarak

in a manner not demanded by the circumstances

• Catalan: gratuïtament (ca)
• Dutch: zomaar (nl), zonder reden, ongegrond (nl)
• Finnish: turhaan (fi), tarpeettomasti
• French: gratuitement (fr)
• German: unnötigerweise (de), unbegründeterweise, überflüssigerweise
• Italian: gratuitamente (it)
• Russian: неуместно (ru) (neumestno), беспричинно (ru) (bespričinno)
• Spanish: gratuitamente (es)
• Turkish: öylesine (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} უფასოდ (upasod)