félicit

Félicit is not a standard, independently used word in contemporary French. It functions primarily as part of the morphology of the verb féliciter and appears in related forms rather than as a standalone lexical item.

Etymology and meaning: The verb féliciter comes from the Latin felicitas, through Old French felicité, and means to congratulate or to felicitate. The related nouns félicitations (congratulations) and félicité (felicity or bliss) are common in modern French, while the participles and verb forms derive from the same root.

Forms and usage: In modern French, the verb féliciter is conjugated with a full set of personal endings: je félicite, tu félicites, il félicite, nous félicitons, vous félicitez, ils félicitent. The sequence félicit- appears as the stem in these conjugated forms, but "félicit" by itself is not used as a complete verb form in standard usage. The form “félicitant” is the present participle, and related verbs and nouns extend the root to félicitations, félicité, and félicitant. Because of its role as a stem, most readers will encounter félicit within longer words rather than as a free-standing term.

Related terms: Félicitations is the common noun for an expression of congratulations. Félicité denotes a state of happiness or a personal name in older or literary contexts. Féliciter itself is the infinitive meaning to congratulate; félicitant is the present participle or an adjective meaning “congratulatory.”

See also: Féliciter, Félicitations, Félicité, Félicitant.