- aggravation
- late 15c., from O.Fr. aggravation, from L.L. aggravationem (nom. aggravatio), noun of action from L. aggravatus, pp. of aggravare "make heavier," from ad "to" + gravare "weigh down," from gravis "heavy" (see grave (adj.)). Oldest sense is "increasing in gravity or seriousness;" that of "irritation" is from 1610s.