gratification

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English[edit]

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “gratification”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)

Etymology[edit]

From Latin grātificātiō either directly or through Middle French gratification, from Latin grātificō (to do a favor to, oblige, please, gratify), from grātus (kind, pleasing) + faciō (to make).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˌɡɹætɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: grat‧i‧fi‧ca‧tion
  • Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun[edit]

gratification (countable and uncountable, plural gratifications)

  1. (countable)
    1. The act of gratifying or pleasing, either the mind, or the appetite or taste.
      Synonym: gladness
      gratification of the heart    gratification of the palate
      • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. [], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, [], →OCLC, pages 295–296:
        I know nothing of Mr. Courtenaye; but I can perceive enough of this affair to see that he is one of those who, for a moment's selfish gratification, or for the yet meaner love of gratified vanity, will excite the deepest feelings, and trifle with the dearest hopes of all who trust them!
      • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 161:
        Many of the so-called rites of these secret societies were so patently ridiculous, that it is quite obvious that they were merely an excuse for men and women to indulge in sex-play and lustful gratification, frequently of an abnormal kind.
    2. A gratuity; a reward.
  2. (uncountable) A feeling of pleasure; satisfaction.
    Synonyms: delight, enjoyment, gladness, fruition

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

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

Further reading[edit]

French[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

gratification f (plural gratifications)

  1. gratification

Further reading[edit]