gravare

Gravare is an Italian verb meaning to burden or to weigh down, either physically or figuratively. It can indicate imposing a duty, obligation, or tax on someone, or simply causing a heavy impact on a person, institution, or economy. In use, the subject is what bears the burden, while the burden itself is often expressed with phrases such as gravare sul bilancio or gravare su una famiglia.

Etymology and related forms: gravare comes from Latin gravare, meaning to load or make heavy, itself from gravis meaning heavy. The verb has cognates in other Romance languages, such as Spanish gravar, with a closely related sense of loading or taxing. The noun gravame denotes a burden or encumbrance, while the adjective gravoso describes something burdensome. The past participle gravato is used in compound tenses to indicate something that has been burdened.

Usage and nuances: gravare is common in legal, fiscal, and administrative language, where a policy, tax, or obligation weighs on a person or a balance sheet. It can take di to specify the burden (gravare qualcuno di un onere) or su to indicate the affected domain (gravare sul bilancio, gravare sull’economia). Examples such as “La crisi grava sul bilancio pubblico” and “Il cittadino è gravato da nuove tasse” illustrate both figurative and financial burdens.

See also: gravame, gravoso, gravare di, gravare sul bilancio.