/ grænd; NAmE / adjective , noun
■ adjective ( grand·er , grand·est )
1.
impressive and large or important :
It's not a very grand house.
The wedding was a very grand occasion.
2.
Grand [ only before noun ] used in the names of impressive or very large buildings, etc. :
the Grand Canyon
We stayed at the Grand Hotel.
3.
needing a lot of effort, money or time to succeed but intended to achieve impressive results :
a grand design / plan / strategy
New Yorkers built their city on a grand scale .
4.
( of people ) behaving in a proud way because they are rich or from a high social class
5.
( dialect or informal ) very good or enjoyable; excellent :
I had a grand day out at the seaside.
Thanks. That'll be grand!
Fred did a grand job of painting the house.
6.
Grand used in the titles of people of very high social rank :
the Grand Duchess Elena
—see also grandeur
► grand·ly adverb :
He described himself grandly as a 'landscape architect'.
► grand·ness noun [ U ]
•
IDIOMS
- a / the grand old age
- a / the grand old man (of sth)
■ noun
1.
( pl. grand ) ( informal ) $1 000; £1 000 :
It'll cost you five grand!
2.
= grand piano
—see also concert grand
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French grant , grand , from Latin grandis full-grown, big, great. The original uses were to denote family relationships and as a title ( the Grand , translating Old French le Grand ); hence the senses of the highest rank , of great importance .