/ɡɹeɪs/
OriginFrom Middle English grace, from Old French grace (modern French grâce), from Latin grātia (“kindness, favour, esteem”), from grātus (“pleasing”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH- (“to praise, welcome”); compare grateful.
The word displaced the native Middle English held, hield (“grace”) (from Old English held, hyld (“grace”)), Middle English este (“grace, favour, pleasure”) (from Old English ēst (“grace, kindness, favour”)), Middle English athmede(n) (“grace”) (from Old English ēadmēdu (“grace”)), Middle English are, ore (“grace, mercy, honour”) (from Old English ār (“honour, grace, kindness, mercy”)).
- countable, uncountableCharming, pleasing qualities.
“The Princess brought grace to an otherwise dull and boring party.”
“Study gives strength to the mind; conversation, grace: the first apt to give stiffness, the other suppleness: one gives substance and form to the statue, the other polishes it.”
“I have formerly given the general character of Mr. Addison's style and manner as natural and unaffected, easy and polite, and full of those graces which a flowery imagination diffuses over writing.”
- countableA short prayer of thanks before or after a meal.
“It has become less common to say grace before having dinner.”
- countableIn the games of patience or solitaire: a special move that is normally against the rules.
- countableA grace note.
“The Trill being the most usual Grace, is usually made in Closes, Cadences, and when on a long Note Exclamation or Passion is expressed, there the Trill is made in the latter part of such Note; but mos”
- uncountableElegant movement; elegance of movement; balance or poise.
“The dancer moved with grace and strength.”
- uncountableAn allowance of time granted to a debtor during which he or she is free of at least part of his normal obligations towards the creditor.
“The repayment of the loan starts after a three-year grace.”
“With mounting anger the King denounced the pair, both father and son, and was about to condemn them to death when his strength gave out. Faint and trembling he was unable to walk and the sword fell fr”
- uncountableFree and undeserved favour, especially of God; unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification, or for resisting sin.
“Near-synonyms: Divine Providence, Providence”
“divine grace”
“the grace of God”
- countable, uncountableAn act or decree of the governing body of an English university.
- archaic, countable, uncountableMercy, pardon.
- transitiveTo adorn; to decorate; to embellish and dignify.
“He graced the room with his presence.”
“He graced the room by simply being there.”
“His portrait graced a landing on the stairway.”
- transitiveTo dignify or raise by an act of favour; to honour.
“He might, at his pleasure, grace […]or disgrace whom he would in court.”
- transitiveTo supply with heavenly grace.
“Thy first publique miracle graceth a marriage”
- transitiveTo add grace notes, cadenzas, etc., to.
“For D and E, the G and A fingers are generally used for gracing, though E is sometimes more conveniently graced by F#.”
- countableA female given name from English.
“To The Handsome Mistress Grace Potter: As is your name, so is your comely face / Touch'd everywhere with such a diffused grace /”
“Grace does not belie her name; for she is indeed a sweet girl, modest and unassuming, and appearing to be unconscious of having done anything great or noble. - OBSERVER, Dec.16, 1838.”
“They named me Grace and waited for a light and agile dancer. / But some trick of genes mixed me up / And instead I turned out big and black and burly.”
- countableA surname.
- countable, uncountableA minor city in Caribou County, Idaho.
- countable, uncountableAn unincorporated community in Kentucky.
- countable, uncountableA census-designated place and unincorporated community in Issaquena County, Mississippi.
- countable, uncountableAn unincorporated community in Carroll County, Missouri.
- countable, uncountableAn unincorporated community in Laclede County, Missouri.
- countable, uncountableAn unincorporated community in Silver Bow County, Montana.
- countable, uncountableAn unincorporated community in Hampshire County, West Virginia.
- countable, uncountableAn unincorporated community in Roane County, West Virginia.
- abbreviation, acronym, alt-ofAcronym of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment.
“Since the Tibetan plateau contains a lot of “closed” catchments, from which meltwater cannot easily escape, large amounts of melting could happen without GRACE detecting them.”
Formsgraces(plural) · graces(present, singular, third-person) · gracing(participle, present) · graced(participle, past) · graced(past) · Graces(plural)
Source: Wiktionary