I. ˈgrās noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin gratia charm, favor, thanks, from gratus pleasing, beloved, grateful + -ia -y; akin to Old High German queran to sigh, Sanskrit gṛṇāti he praises
1.
a. : beneficence or generosity shown by God to man
the very earthy problems that must be dealt with makes one rely heavily upon God for grace and wisdom — Guatemala News
a God who … works to bring his purposes to fruition through the willing response of men to his grace — Norman Goodall
especially : divine favor unmerited by man : the mercy of God as distinguished from his justice
a man repentant and asking God's grace
b. : a free gift of God to man for his regeneration or sanctification : an influence emanating from God and acting for the spiritual well-being of the recipient
the Methodists, following the Baptists, appealed to the people for they preached free will and universal grace — Van Wyck Brooks
it may be that they have no one praying for them, and they have squandered all the ordinary and extraordinary graces allotted to them by God — D.J.Corrigan
c. : a state of acceptance with or of being pleasing to God : enjoyment of divine favor
be in a state of grace
outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace
d. : a virtue or moral excellence regarded as coming from God : a Christian virtue
the graces of self-denial, humility, and love
e. capitalized : God as the source of grace
2. : a short prayer either asking a blessing before or giving thanks after a meal
3.
a. : disposition to kindness, favor, clemency, or compassion : benign goodwill
the victor's grace in treating the vanquished
b. : the display of kindly treatment usually on the part of a superior : ready granting or forgiving : clement judging or treating
thankful for this grace on her brother's part — Margaret Deland
c. archaic : mercy , clemency ; also : forgiveness
d.
(1) : an act of kindness, favor, or goodwill
do me this grace , my child — Alfred Tennyson
had been some years in prison … where she was kept without books till at last by some special grace a friend was allowed to send her some — Gilbert Murray
(2) : a special favor from a person in power : privilege , dispensation
each in his place, by right, not grace , shall rule his heritage — Rudyard Kipling
woman gains entrance into such societies only through a kind of grace bestowed upon her, not legitimately like the male — H.M.Parshley
(3) : the prerogative of mercy exercised by an executive of the law (as by granting pardon)
(4) : the same prerogative when exercised in the form of equitable relief through chancery
(5) : favor shown by permitting an action to be postponed or by granting a reprieve or a temporary exemption from a penalty
granted the condemned man a day of grace to wind up his worldly affairs
she didn't like to be rushed so he gave her an extra half hour's grace before he called for her
e. : favor and approval — often used in plural
tried to stay in his employer's good graces
after he had fallen from grace — American Guide Series: Pennsylvania
worm your way into my graces — Hamilton Basso
4. : the favor shown or the portion allotted by fortune or Providence : lot , fate , luck
5. obsolete : beneficent efficacy or power
6.
a.
(1) : a charming or attractive endowment, characteristic, quality, or feature
among disagreeable qualities he possessed the saving grace of humor
the little graces of speech — George Sampson
that quiet but unabashed hospitality which is a common grace in Mexican households — Willa Cather
(2) : an activity or accomplishment that lends such grace
a young girl trained early in the graces of singing, dancing, and playing the harp
more distinguished for his learning than for his conversational graces — Charles Gordon
rising to receive him, with every refinement of manner known to the time, and with all the engaging graces and courtesies of life — Charles Dickens
b.
(1) : a manner of acting or of appearance adopted or affected with the intention of charming or pleasing
(2) : affectation
laughing at the woman's airs and graces
c. : attractiveness , charm
all the grace of youth — John Buchan
old civilizations do breed corruption as well as grace — Sean O'Faolain
the grace of her loose falling tresses — George Meredith
given an old story a new lucidity and grace — Sara H. Hay
especially : the pleasing quality associated with a special and refined fitness of proportion combined with an ease and beauty of movement, action, line, or expression
a curved … staircase of unusual grace , with marble steps and wrought-iron railings — American Guide Series: New York City
the stables had dignity and grace in a degree one rarely sees in a modern edifice — H.J.Laski
have been able to convey through the coarser medium of English prose something of this aesthetic grace , this deftness of touch — P.E.More
d. : propriety , seemliness , comeliness
performed the necessary task without fanfare and with a quiet grace
e. obsolete : a thing or part characterized by beauty : ornament
f. : a musical decoration consisting of notes not belonging to the basic melody or harmony (as the trill, turn, appoggiatura) indicated by special symbols or small notes
7. — used with your in addressing a duke, a duchess, or an archbishop and formerly the king or queen of England or with his or her as a periphrastic designation for one of these
8. at an English university
a. : permission of a congregation to take a degree
b. : a proposal, decree, act, or vote of the governing body of an institution
c. : permission to take a degree obtained from a candidate's college or hall
9.
a. : sense of propriety or right : graciousness , decency
had the grace to apologize for the insulting remark
b. : virtue
will have to make a grace of necessity — H.L.Ickes
c. : considerateness , thoughtfulness
geographers in their maps have the grace to indicate the bed of the Paroo river — C.E.W.Bean
10.
a. usually capitalized : one of three sister goddesses in Greek mythology represented as beautiful and graceful, as associates of the Muses, and as attendants usually on Eros, Aphrodite, and Dionysus and regarded as the givers of charm and beauty — usually used in plural
b. : one that resembles or represents such a goddess
from every ceiling nymphs, cherubs, and graces gaze down — American Guide Series: Vermont
11. graces plural but singular in construction : a game in which players throw and catch a small hoop by means of two sticks — used with the ; see grace hoop
Synonyms: see mercy
•
- by grace of
- do grace
- of grace
- with a bad grace
- with good grace
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English gracen to thank, show favor to, from Old French gracier, from grace
1. obsolete
a. : to be gracious to : favor , countenance
b. : gratify , delight
2. : to dignify or honor by an act of favor : do credit to
discoveries are made every year which, in the past, would have graced a century — Albert Guérard
3.
a. : to endow with grace : adorn , embellish , ornament
the fine broad meadowlands that grace the tranquil valley floor — American Guide Series: Vermont
a banquet graced by a speaker — Pleasures of Publishing
want to think of their forebears as polished courtiers who would grace a modern drawing room — L.B.Wright
the fabulous one-horned animal which graces the British royal coat of arms — R.W.Murray
b. : to constitute a notable addition to or part of
switches, buttons, wheels, knobs, and gadgets that may grace the interior of any modern aircraft cockpit — H.G.Armstrong
gracing the living room were five small aquariums and a large one — P.A.Zahl
the giants among the scores of others who graced 17th century Holland — William Petersen
specifically : to embellish (a musical composition) with ornaments