<B>grace, </B>noun, verb, <B>graced,</B> <B>gracing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>beauty of form,movement, or manner. <BR> <I>Ex. The ballet dancer danced with much grace. Grace, indeed, is beauty in action (Benjamin Disraeli).</I> (SYN) charm, ease, elegance. <DD><B> 2. </B>a pleasing or agreeable quality or feature. <BR> <I>Ex. Possess'd of ev'ry manly grace (Tobias Smollett).</I> <DD><B> 3a. </B>good will; favor. <BR> <I>Ex. The marks of grace which Elizabeth showed to young Raleigh (Scott).</I> (SYN) kindness. <DD><B> b. </B>an instance or manifestation of favor. <BR> <I>Ex. Do me this grace, my child, to have my shield In keeping till I come (Tennyson).</I> (SYN) kindness. <DD><B> 4. </B>mercy; clemency; pardon; forgiveness. <DD><B> 5a. </B>the favor and love of God; influence of God operating in man to improve and strengthen. <BR> <I>Ex. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound (Romans 5:20).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the condition of being influenced and favored by God. <BR> <I>Ex. Grace, in a sense, is that which conforms us to God--the Creator (Time).</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>a short prayer of thanks before or after a meal. <BR> <I>Ex. A youth ... pronounced the ancient form of grace before meals (Emerson).</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>favor shown by granting a delay in the performance of an action, or the discharge of an obligation, or immunity from penalty during a specified period. <BR> <I>Ex. You may have a day's grace to decide. Stay a little! One golden minute's grace! (Tennyson).</I> <DD><B> 8. </B>a legal allowance of time for the payment of a bill or the like, after the expiration of the term for which it is drawn. <BR> <I>Ex. Most firms allow a ten days' grace after a bill is due.</I> <DD><B> 9. </B>virtue; merit; excellence. <BR> <I>Ex. He blushes again, which is a sign of grace (Scott).</I> <DD><B> 10. </B>behavior put on to seem attractive. <BR> <I>Ex. My sister came back from boarding school with little airs and graces.</I> <DD><B> 11. </B>Often, <B>Grace.</B> a title used in speaking to or of a duke, duchess, or archbishop (preceded by a possessive adjective); <BR> <I>Ex. May I assist Your Grace?</I> <DD><B> 12. </B><B>=grace note.</B> <DD><B> 13. </B>(Obsolete.) one's fate, lot, or destiny. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to give or add grace to; set off with grace. <BR> <I>Ex. A vase of flowers graced the room. Still cheaper chicken may grace menus soon (Wall Street Journal).</I> (SYN) adorn, decorate, embellish. <DD><B> 2. </B>to give grace or honor to. <BR> <I>Ex. The queen graced the ball with her presence.</I> (SYN) honor. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Music.) to add grace notes to. <BR><I>expr. <B>fall from grace,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>(Informal.) to lose favor. </I> <I>Ex. She fell from grace with her teacher when she persisted in coming late to class.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to revert to sin or evildoing; backslide. <BR> <I>Ex. Calvinism denies the possibility of falling from grace.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>have the grace,</B> </I>to show a sense of what is right or proper. <BR> <I>Ex. In the church ... will be represented a Miracle Play; and I hope you will all have the grace to attend (Longfellow).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>in one's bad graces</B> or <B>in the bad graces of,</B> </I>disfavored or disliked by. <BR> <I>Ex. That rude boy is always in the teacher's bad graces.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>in one's good graces</B> or <B>in the good graces of,</B> </I>favored or liked by. <BR> <I>Ex. I wonder if I am in the good graces of the teacher?</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>take heart of grace.</B> </I>See under <B>heart.</B> <BR><I>expr. <B>with bad grace,</B> </I>unpleasantly unwillingly. <BR> <I>Ex. The apology was made with bad grace.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>with goodgrace,</B> </I>pleasantly; willingly. <BR> <I>Ex. He obeyed the order with good grace.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="graceandfavour">
<B>grace-and-favour, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) <DD><B> 1. </B>(of a house, pension, etc.) granted by the Crown, free of rent, rates, etc., to retired civil servants and the like. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with a grace-and-favour house, pension, etc.. <BR> <I>Ex. grace-and-favour residents, a grace-and-favour tenant.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="gracecup">
<B>grace cup,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a cup of wine formerly passed around the table, after the saying of grace at the end of a meal, from which a final toast was drunk. <DD><B> 2. </B>a drink taken from it. </DL>
<A NAME="graceful">
<B>graceful, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having or showing grace; beautiful in form, movement, or manner; pleasing; agreeable. <BR> <I>Ex. A good dancer must be graceful. She thanked him with a graceful speech.</I> adv. <B>gracefully.</B> noun <B>gracefulness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="graceless">
<B>graceless, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>ugly in form, movement, or manner; without grace. <BR> <I>Ex. awkward, graceless movements.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>without any sense of what is right or proper; impolite. <BR> <I>Ex. That boy is a graceless rascal. She knows very well what graceless dogs sailors are (Herman Melville).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>lacking spiritual grace; unregenerate. adv. <B>gracelessly.</B> noun <B>gracelessness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="gracenote">
<B>grace note,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Music.) a note or group of notes not essential to the harmony or melody but added for ornament, such as an appoggiatura. Grace notes are printed in smaller type than the regular notes. </DL>
<A NAME="graceperiod">
<B>grace period,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a delay granted in the performance of an action or the discharge of an obligation. </DL>
<A NAME="graces">
<B>Graces, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Greek and Roman Mythology.) three sister goddesses who give beauty, charm, and joy to people and nature. They are usually described as attendants of Aphrodite and as women of great beauty. They are Aglaia (brilliance), Euphrosyne (joy), and Thalia (bloom). </DL>
<A NAME="gracestroke">
<B>grace stroke,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a finishing stroke; coup de grace. </DL>
<A NAME="graceswarbler">
<B>Grace's warbler,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a warbler of the southwestern United States and Mexico with gray upper parts and yellow throat and chest. </DL>
<B>gracioso, </B>noun, pl. <B>-sos.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the buffoon of Spanish traditional comedy. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) a court favorite. </DL>
<A NAME="gracious">
<B>gracious, </B>adjective, interjection.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>pleasant and kindly; courteous. <BR> <I>Ex. She received her guests in a gracious manner that made them feel at ease.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>pleasant, kindly, and courteous to people of lower social position. <BR> <I>Ex. The queen greeted the crowd with a gracious smile.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>merciful; kindly; compassionate. <BR> <I>Ex. Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful (Nehemiah 9:17).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Archaic.) pleasing; attractive; graceful. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Obsolete.) enjoying grace or favor; fortunate; happy. <DD><I>interj. </I> an exclamation of surprise. adv. <B>graciously.</B> noun <B>graciousness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="grackle">
<B>grackle, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>any one of several large American blackbirds related to the orioles, such as the purple grackle. <DD><B> 2. </B>any one of various other birds with shiny black or dark feathers, such as the European myna and the starling. </DL>
<A NAME="grad">
<B>grad</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) a graduate, especially of a college. </DL>
<A NAME="grad">
<B>grad</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Navigation.) a unit for measuring angles or calculating a position on the earth's surface. A grad equals 9/10 of a degree. </DL>
<B>gradable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be graded. <BR> <I>Ex. cattle gradable according to weight.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="gradate">
<B>gradate, </B>verb, <B>-dated,</B> <B>-dating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> to pass by imperceptible degrees, as one color into another. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to cause to gradate. <DD><B> 2. </B>to arrange in steps or grades. </DL>
<A NAME="gradatim">
<B>gradatim, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) step by step; by degrees; gradually. </DL>
<A NAME="gradation">
<B>gradation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>a change by steps or stages; gradual change. <BR> <I>Ex. Our acts show gradation between right and wrong. She sometimes contemplated a little sorrowfully the gradation from her former simplicity to her present sophistication.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the fact or condition of including or being arranged in a series of degrees. <BR> <I>Ex. a variety of forms exhibiting gradation.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>Often, <B>gradations.</B> one of the steps, stages, or degrees in a series. <BR> <I>Ex. There are many gradations between poverty and wealth. The rainbow shows gradations of color besides the six main colors.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the act or process ofgrading. <DD><B> 4. </B><B>=ablaut.</B> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Geology.) the process by which the surface of the earth is leveled off, or the bed of a stream is brought to equilibrium, through the action of wind, ice, water, etc. <DD><B> 6. </B>(Obsolete.) an advancing, step by step; gradual progress. </DL>
<A NAME="gradational">
<B>gradational, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having to do with or exhibiting gradation. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Geology.) the process of affecting or state of being affected by gradation. adv. <B>gradationally.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="gradative">
<B>gradative, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> proceeding step by step, or by degrees or grades. </DL>
