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Glite Dictionary
to gratias agere

to gratias agere

9.9
To thank someone in a formal way
  • idiom
  • Literature
translation icon : dar gracias
  • The tradition was to gratias agere before every meal in the monastery.

Examples

  • In his letter, he made sure to gratias agere for the kindness he had received.

  • I always gratias agere after receiving help.

  • At the end of the ceremony, the professor stood up to gratias agere to the organizers.

  • We must gratias agere for their support.

  • At the end of the ceremony, the professor stood up to gratias agere to the organizers.

  • The tradition was to gratias agere before every meal in the monastery.

  • In his letter, he made sure to gratias agere for the kindness he had received.

Synonyms

to thank
vsto gratias agere
∞ 1.0

Tell someone you are grateful for what they did

is more formal and classical than this everyday expression
to give thanks
vsto gratias agere
56 1.4

To show you are grateful, often in words or prayer

is more formal and classical in tone
to mahalo
vsto gratias agere
  • US
9.9

To say thank you to someone

is a formal classical expression rather than a cultural term

How Thankful

to gratias agere
  • Literature
9.9
to thank
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

gratias agere infinitive

Morphology

gratias + agere

The Latin components are fully compositional: gratias corresponds to 'thanks' and agere to 'to do/give/express', so the phrase literally means 'to give/express thanks.' This mapping is parallel to common English collocations (e.g. 'give thanks') and cross-linguistic patterns, so a learner who knows the constituent meanings can infer the MWE meaning despite its formal/classical register.

Etymology

Gratias agere joins gratias 'thanks' and agere 'to do'. Imagine people in old Rome making a formal action or speech to show thanks, so it now means 'to express gratitude'.