Emily Dickinson Lexicon

GRA-TU'I-TOUS, a. [L. gratuitus, from gratus; Fr. gratuit; It. gratuito. See Grace.]

1. Free; voluntary; not required by justice; granted without claim or merit. We mistake the gratuitous blessings of heaven for the fruits of our own industry. L'Estrange.
2. Asserted or taken without proof; as, a gratuitous argument or affirmation.