Other forms: congratulations
A congratulation is an expression of pleasure at somebody's good news. Send congratulations, letters of congratulation, congratulations to you.
The plural is what everybody says and the singular is nearly always formal. The Latin behind it means rejoicing together, which is the whole point: a congratulation is sharing the pleasure rather than merely noting the fact.
1nouncongratulationAn expression of pleasure at somebody's good news.
“Letters of congratulation poured in after she won the prize.”
congratulation is an expression.
Latin congratulatio comes from congratulari, to rejoice with — con plus gratulari, to give thanks.
Latin
congratulatio
Middle French
congratulation
Middle English
congratulacion
English, today
congratulation
Built from
From Middle English congratulacion, from Middle French congratulation or its etymon Latin congratulatio, from congrātulor (“to congratulate”). by surface analysis, congratulate + -ion.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA