I. ˈgrōs sometimes -ȯ- adjective
( usually -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French gros, thick, coarse, from Latin grossus; perhaps akin to Middle Irish, Welsh, Cornish & Breton bras thick, large
1.
a. archaic : immediately obvious : plain , evident
'tis gross you love my son — Shakespeare
b.
(1) : glaringly noticeable : flagrant
one gross error after another
(2) : out-and-out , complete , utter , unmitigated , rank
a gross traitor
a gross fool
gross injustice
c. : visible without the aid of a microscope : large enough to be seen with the naked eye : macroscopic , manifest
gross lesions
— compare occult
2.
a.
(1) archaic : physically large : big , bulky , massive
the piers being extremely gross — George Semple
(2) : strongly and heavily built : stocky , burly
a gross giant of a man
(3) : excessively fat or dumpy : excessively corpulent or lumpish
a great, gross girl with a fleshy face and small eyes — Margaret Long
b. : growing or spreading with excessive or abnormal luxuriance
a gross riot of vegetation
3.
a.
(1) : of, relating to, or dealing with general aspects or broad distinctions : not specific or closely detailed
acquainted him with the gross outlines of the matter
: general , generalized , overall
important to understand the gross behavior of the sexually responding animal — A.C.Kinsey
(2) archaic : lacking clarity and precision : vague , foggy
b. : consisting of an overall total exclusive of deductions
gross earnings
gross production
gross annual profit
— opposed to net
4.
a. : made up of many closely compacted particles
gross clouds of dust
or drops
a gross fog
gross vapors
: dense , thick
b. : made up of elements that are material or perceptible to the senses : earthy , carnal , animal
both the intellectual and the grosser part of human nature
c. archaic : made up of or yielding relatively large or coarse parts or particles
tarras or other gross matter — John Smeaton
5. archaic
a. : undistinguished or poor in quality : common , cheap , inferior
fish and oil and such gross commodities — Daniel Defoe
b. : not fastidious in taste : undiscriminating
their diet is extremely gross — E.W.Lane
c. : lacking delicacy of perception : slow to respond : dull , stupid , oafish
6. : lacking knowledge or culture : ignorant , unrefined , rude , cloddish , primitive , barbaric
the gross herd of the people
7.
a. : coarse in nature, manner, or expression
gross interests
gross pleasures
a gross way of behaving
b. : lacking civility or decency : low , vulgar , crude , offensive , obscene
a revoltingly gross expletive
habitually used gross language
Synonyms: see coarse , flagrant , whole
II. noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English, from gross, adjective
1.
a. obsolete : amount
I cannot instantly raise up the gross of full three thousand ducats — Shakespeare
b. : an overall total exclusive of deductions (as taxes, expenses) : sum total
the company's gross doubled in five years
2. archaic : main body : principal part : bulk , mass
the gross of the army — Thomas Carlyle
•
- by the gross
- in gross
- in the gross
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: gross (I)
: to make, earn, or bring in (an overall total) exclusive of deductions (as taxes, expenses)
a musical comedy that grossed a million dollars
IV. noun
( plural gross )
Etymology: Middle English groos, groce, from Middle French grosse, from feminine of gros thick, coarse — more at gross I
: an aggregate of 12 dozen things : an aggregate of 144 things ; specifically : a lot made up of 12 dozen usually relatively small and substantially identical commercial objects
ordered a gross of pencils
3 gross of can openers
V. adjective
slang : inspiring disgust or distaste
that sandwich looks gross