WordDaily - Felicitate
fəˈlisəˌtāt
VERB
Congratulate.
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EXAMPLE SENTENCES
“We wanted to be the first people to felicitate our niece on her spelling-bee victory.”
“The CEO felicitated me for leading the team in sales for the quarter.”
“The ceremony is held to felicitate the annual award winners.”
WORD ORIGIN
Latin, early 17th century
WHY THIS WORD?
“Felicitate” is based on the Latin “felicitatus,” meaning “to make happy,” from the Latin “fēlīx” (“happy”). “Felicitate” can be a straightforward synonym for “to congratulate,” though the term is more nuanced than that. Looking at the Latin root “felicitatus,” meaning “to make happy,” a person who felicitates is celebrating another’s happiness, or wishing joy upon that person. By offering felicitations (the noun form), there is no jealousy or sarcasm, but only pure happiness in the congratulations.
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