grace
Charming, pleasing qualities.
Noun
- Charming, pleasing qualities.
- The Princess brought grace to an otherwise dull and boring party.
- Study gives strength to the mind; conversation, grace: the first apt to give stiffness, the other suppleness: one gives substance and form to the statue, the other polishes it. - 1699, William Temple, Heads designed for...
- I have formerly given the general character of Mr. Addison's style and manner as natural and unaffected, easy and polite, and full of those graces which a flowery imagination diffuses over writing. - 1783, Hugh Blair,...
- A short prayer of thanks before or after a meal.
- It has become less common to say grace before having dinner.
- In the games of patience or solitaire: a special move that is normally against the rules.
- A grace note.
- The Trill being the most usual Grace, is usually made in Closes, Cadences, and when on a long Note Exclamation or Passion is expressed, there the Trill is made in the latter part of such Note; but most usually upon...
- Elegant movement; elegance of movement; balance or poise.
- The dancer moved with grace and strength.
Synonyms: gracefulness
- An allowance of time granted to a debtor during which they are free of at least part of their normal obligations towards the creditor.
- The repayment of the loan starts after a three-year grace.
- With mounting anger the King denounced the pair, both father and son, and was about to condemn them to death when his strength gave out. Faint and trembling he was unable to walk and the sword fell from his hands as he...
- Favor, sanction or beneficence.
- The minister has extended his grace to our effort.
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(uncountable, theology) Free and undeserved favour from God; unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification, or for resisting sin.
- Near-synonyms: Divine Providence, Providence
- divine grace
- the grace of God
Synonyms: Divine Providence Providence
- An act or decree of the governing body of an English university.
- Mercy, pardon.
Origin
From Middle English grace, from Old French grace (modern French grâce), from Latin grātia (“kindness, favour, esteem”), from grātus (“pleasing”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH- (“to praise, welcome”); compare grateful. The word displaced the native Middle English held, hield (“grace”) (from Old English held, hyld (“grace”)), Middle English este (“grace, favour, pleasure”) (from Old English ēst (“grace, kindness, favour”)), Middle English athmede(n) (“grace”) (from Old English ēadmēdu (“grace”)), Middle English are, ore (“grace, mercy, honour”) (from Old English ār (“honour, grace, kindness, mercy”)).
Forms
Related
Derived
airs and graces begrace bowgrace but for the grace of God cooperating grace coup de grace coup-de-grace covenant of grace engrace expectative grace fall from grace free grace good graces grace and favor grace and favour grace-cup graceful graceless gracelike grace note grace period gracesome grace stroke graceworthy
Verb
- To adorn; to decorate; to embellish and dignify.
- He graced the room with his presence.
- He graced the room by simply being there.
- His portrait graced a landing on the stairway.
- To dignify or raise by an act of favour; to honour.
- He might, at his pleasure, grace […]or disgrace whom he would in court. - 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:
- To supply with heavenly grace.
- Thy first publique miracle graceth a marriage - 1612–1626, [Joseph Hall], “(please specify the page)”, in [Contemplations vpon the Principall Passages of the Holy Storie], volume (please specify |volume=II, V, or VI),...
- To add grace notes, cadenzas, etc., to.
- For D and E, the G and A fingers are generally used for gracing, though E is sometimes more conveniently graced by F#. - 1987, L. E. McCullough, The Complete Irish Tin Whistle Tutor (New & Revised), page 22: