ˈgrāvē, -vi noun
( -es )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English gravey, grave, from Middle French gravé
1.
a. obsolete : a dressing for fish or other seafood or for vegetables usually consisting of the liquid (as beer or wine) in which the food is cooked together with pulverized almonds and spices
b. : the juices that exude from meat during or after cooking especially when thickened (as with flour) and seasoned for use as a sauce
a helping of potatoes and gravy
a rich turkey gravy
c. : any of several thickened sauces (as milk gravy) served especially with meat or potatoes
d. dialect : a savory juice (as from a berry pie) especially when suitable for sopping
2.
a. : something pleasing or valuable that occurs or is acquired over and above what would ordinarily be expected
such a job is pure gravy
b. : unforeseen profits or income : profits from special or unexpected sources : windfall
c. slang : improper profits or a source of such profits (as political partronage or graft)
3. — used in the phrases by gravy and good gravy as a mild oath