Gravitas
|
|
Gravitas is a word that conveys a sense of substance or depth to an individual's personality.
Gravitas is one of the many virtues that, in Roman times, men were expected to possess (along with pietas and dignitas), and in a Roman context it conveyed a sense of dignity, seriousness, and duty.
It was popularized by the media during the summer of 2000, describing the Republican Party candidate, George W. Bush, as not having any, and Al Gore, the Democratic Party candidate, as having too much. After a month of heavy usage, the use of the word steadily dropped and disappeared. It is still used occasionally, mostly in biographical writing, and actually began to gain in popularity during the 2004 presidential election.