gravamen
Syllabification: (gra·va·men)
Pronunciation: /grəˈvāmən/
Definition of gravamen
noun ( plural gravamina /-ˈvamənə/)
chiefly LawOrigin:
early 17th century (as an ecclesiastical term denoting formal presentation of a grievance): from late Latin, literally 'physical inconvenience', from Latin gravare 'to load', from gravis 'heavy'