felicitate

1 of 2

adjective

fe·​lic·​i·​tate fi-ˈli-sə-ˌtāt 

obsolete

: made happy

felicitate

2 of 2

verb

felicitated; felicitating

transitive verb

1

archaic : to make happy

2

a

: to consider happy or fortunate

b

: to offer congratulations to

felicitation

fi-ˌli-sə-ˈtā-shən 

noun

felicitator

fi-ˈli-sə-ˌtā-tər 

noun

Did you know?

Felix, a Latin adjective meaning "happy" or "fruitful," is the root of the English words felicity and felicitate. The former, which is by far the more common of the pair, refers to the state of being happy or to something that makes people happy; like felix itself, it's also used as a name. Felicitate has always played second fiddle to its cousin, but enjoyed more use in centuries past than it does today. At one time it functioned as an adjective meaning "made happy" (William Shakespeare used it this way in King Lear), but the adjective fell out of favor and is no longer in use. Felicitate today is most commonly used as a verb especially in the English of South Asia where its "to offer congratulations" meaning is often extended beyond simple congratulations to the honoring of someone with an award or prize.

Synonyms

Verb

• compliment
• congratulate
• hug

Examples of felicitate in a Sentence

Verb

the other pianists rushed to felicitate the winner of the piano competition

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Kelley O’Hara Honored The U.S. soccer federation felicitated defender Kelley O’Hara with a ceremony at half-time in the wake of her retirement decision. —Manasi Pathak, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Late Latin felicitatus, past participle of felicitare to make happy, from Latin felicitas

First Known Use

Adjective

1605, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

felicitate

verb

fe·​lic·​i·​tate

fi-ˈlis-ə-ˌtāt

felicitated; felicitating

: congratulate

felicitation

-ˌlis-ə-ˈtā-shən

noun