grace

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See also: Grace, grâce, and Grâce

English

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Etymology

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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”)).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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grace (countable and uncountable, plural graces)

  1. (countable, uncountable) Charming, pleasing qualities.
    The Princess brought grace to an otherwise dull and boring party.
    • 1699, William Temple, Heads designed for an essay on conversations‎[1]:
      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.
    • 1783, Hugh Blair, “Critical Examniation of the Style of Mr. Addison in No. 411 of The Spectator”, in Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres:
      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.
  2. (countable) A short prayer of thanks before or after a meal.
    It has become less common to say grace before having dinner.
  3. (countable, card games) In the games of patience or solitaire: a special move that is normally against the rules.
  4. (countable, music) A grace note.
    • 1683, John Playford, An Introduction to the Skill of Musick: In Three Books, page 47:
      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 binding Notes and such Notes as precede the closing Note.
  6. (uncountable) Elegant movement; elegance of movement; balance or poise.
    Synonym: gracefulness
    Hyponym: dexterousness
    The dancer moved with grace and strength.
  7. (uncountable, finance) An allowance of time granted to a debtor during which he or she is free of at least part of his normal obligations towards the creditor.
    The repayment of the loan starts after a three-year grace.
    • 1990, Claude de Bèze, translated by E. W. Hutchinson, 1688 revolution in Siam: the memoir of Father de Bèze, s.j, University Press, page 153:
      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 murmured: 'May the Protector of the Buddhist Faith grant me but seven more days grace of life to be quit of this disloyal couple, father and son'.
  9. (uncountable, theology) Free and undeserved favour, especially of God; unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification, or for resisting sin.
    • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
      When she sang in the kirk, folk have told me that they had a foretaste of the musick of the New Jerusalem, and when she came in by the village of Caulds old men stottered to their doors to look at her. Moreover, from her earliest days the bairn had some glimmerings of grace.
  10. An act or decree of the governing body of an English university.

Derived terms

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Terms related to grace (noun)

Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

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grace (third-person singular simple present graces, present participle gracing, simple past and past participle graced)

  1. (transitive) 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.
  2. (transitive) To dignify or raise by an act of favour; to honour.
    • 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:
      He might, at his pleasure, grace […] or disgrace whom he would in court.
  3. (transitive) To supply with heavenly grace.
    • 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), London, →OCLC:
      Thy first publique miracle graceth a marriage
  4. (transitive, music) To add grace notes, cadenzas, etc., to.
    • 1987, L. E. McCullough, The Complete Irish Tin Whistle Tutor (New & Revised), page 22:
      For D and E, the G and A fingers are generally used for gracing, though E is sometimes more conveniently graced by F#.

Synonyms

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Translations

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Middle English

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Etymology 1

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From Old French grace, from Latin grātia.

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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grace (plural graces or grace)

  1. various (Christian) theological meanings, usually as an attribute of God:
    1. the grace of God; divine aid or beneficence.
    2. a gift or sign of God; a demonstration of divine power.
    3. guidance, direction (especially divine)
  2. luck, destiny (especially positive or beneficial)
  3. niceness, esteem, positive demeanour
  4. beneficence, goodwill, good intentions
  5. gracefulness, elegance; aptness, competence.
  6. a present; a helpful or kind act.
  7. relief, relenting, forgiveness
  8. a prayer of thanks, especially one preceding a meal.
  9. (rare) repute, credit
  10. (rare) misfortune, misadventure, doom
  11. (rare, Late Middle English) unfairness, partisanship
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Descendants
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  • English: grace
  • Scots: grace
  • Yola: greash, graace
  • → Welsh: gras
  • → Cornish: gras
References
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Etymology 2

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From Old English græs.

Noun

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grace

  1. Alternative form of gras

Old French

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin grātia.

Noun

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grace oblique singular, f (oblique plural graces, nominative singular grace, nominative plural graces)

  1. grace; favor
  2. grace; gracefulness; elegance

Descendants

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References

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Swedish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French grâce, from Latin gratia. Doublet of graciös and gratis.

Noun

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grace c

  1. (in the singular) grace (effortless beauty or charm)
    Synonym: elegans
  2. (in the plural) grace (beneficial act)
    fördela sina gracer
    distribute one's favours
  3. (in the plural) Graces (goddesses in Ancient Greek mythology)
    Synonym: gratie

Declension

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Declension of grace
nominative genitive
singular indefinite grace graces
definite gracen gracens
plural indefinite gracer gracers
definite gracerna gracernas

References

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