Gravity: The Force, and the Seriousness
Gravity is the force pulling masses together, and the quality of being serious. The older meaning is the serious one.
Gravity is the attraction between masses — what keeps you on the floor and the moon in orbit. It also means seriousness, and that sense is older in English: *the gravity of the situation* was in use before Newton gave the word its physics. Both come from Latin *gravis*, heavy.
- The force attracting masses. *The gravity of the moon.*
- Seriousness. *The gravity of the charges.*
- Centre of gravity — the balance point of a body. *A low centre of gravity.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | gravity | Zero gravity. |
| Adjective | gravitational | Gravitational pull. |
| Verb | gravitate | They gravitate towards it. |
| Adjective | grave | A grave error. |
| Adverb | gravely | Gravely ill. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Gravity is weaker on the moon.About one sixth of the earth's.
- He did not grasp the gravity of the situation.The older, serious sense.
- People gravitate towards the exits.The verb means to be drawn.
Gravity facts worth carrying
- Weight is not mass — mass stays the same; weight is mass times gravity
- Free fall — astronauts are falling around the earth, not beyond gravity
- Escape velocity — the speed needed to leave a body's pull
- Gravitational waves — ripples in spacetime, first detected in 2015
- Centre of gravity — lower means harder to tip over
From Latin *gravitas*, weight or seriousness, from *gravis*, heavy. The physical sense was fixed in English by Newton's work in the late seventeenth century; the serious sense had been there for over a hundred years.
Is there really zero gravity on the space station?
No. Gravity there is nearly as strong as at ground level. Everything is in free fall together, which is why things float. The proper term is microgravity.
Gravity or gravitas?
Gravitas is borrowed separately and means dignified seriousness in a person. Gravity for seriousness usually describes a situation.