I. grave ˈgrāv transitive verb
( graved ; grav·en ˈgrā-vən ; or graved ; grav·ing )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English grafan; akin to Old High German graban to dig, Old Church Slavic po greti to bury
Date: before 12th century
1. archaic : dig , excavate
2.
a. : to carve or shape with a chisel : sculpture
b. : to carve or cut (as letters or figures) into a hard surface : engrave
3. : to impress or fix (as a thought) deeply
II. grave noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English græf; akin to Old High German grab grave, Old English grafan to dig
Date: before 12th century
1. : an excavation for burial of a body ; broadly : a burial place
2.
a. : death 1a
b. : death 4
III. grave transitive verb
( graved ; grav·ing )
Etymology: Middle English graven
Date: 15th century
: to clean and pay with pitch
grave a ship's bottom
IV. grave ˈgrāv, in sense 5 often ˈgräv adjective
( grav·er ; grav·est )
Etymology: Middle French, from Latin gravis heavy, grave — more at grieve
Date: 1539
1.
a. obsolete : authoritative , weighty
b. : meriting serious consideration : important
grave problems
c. : likely to produce great harm or danger
a grave mistake
d. : significantly serious : considerable , great
grave importance
2. : having a serious and dignified quality or demeanor
a grave and thoughtful look
3. : drab in color : somber
4. : low-pitched in sound
5.
a. of an accent mark : having the form `
b. : marked with a grave accent
c. : of the variety indicated by a grave accent
Synonyms: see serious
• grave·ly adverb
• grave·ness noun
V. grave ˈgrāv, ˈgräv noun
Date: 1609
: a grave accent ` used to show that a vowel is pronounced with a fall of pitch (as in ancient Greek), that a vowel has a certain quality (as è in French), that a final e is stressed and close and that a final o is stressed and low (as in Italian), that a syllable has a degree of stress between maximum and minimum (as in phonetic transcription), or that the e of the English ending -ed is to be pronounced (as in “this cursèd day”)
VI. gra·ve ˈgrä-(ˌ)vā adverb or adjective
Etymology: Italian, literally, grave, from Latin gravis
Date: 1683
: slowly and solemnly — used as a direction in music