GRACE, gr[=a]s, _n._ easy elegance in form or manner: what adorns and
commends to favour: embellishment: favour: pardon: the undeserved mercy of
God: divine influence: eternal life or salvation: a short prayer at meat:
an act or decree of the governing body of an English university: a
ceremonious title in addressing a duke or an archbishop: (_pl._) favour,
friendship (with _good_): (_myth._) the three sister goddesses in whom
beauty was deified (the Greek Charites), Euphrosyne, Aglaia,
Thalia.--_v.t._ to mark with favour: to adorn.--_n._ GRACE'-CUP, a cup or
health drunk at the last of the feast.--_adjs._ GRACED (_Shak._), virtuous,
chaste; GRACE'FUL, elegant and easy: marked by propriety or fitness,
becoming.--_adv._ GRACE'FULLY.--_n._ GRACE'FULNESS.--_adjs._ GRACE'LESS,
wanting grace or excellence: depraved: wicked.--_adv._ GRACE'LESSLY.--_n._
GRACE'LESSNESS.--_ns._ GRACE'-NOTE (_mus._), a note introduced as an
embellishment, not being essential to the harmony or melody; GRACE'-STROKE,
a finishing stroke, _coup de_ _grâce_; GRACI[=O]'SO, a clown in Spanish
comedy, a favourite.--_adj._ GR[=A]'CIOUS, abounding in grace or kindness:
benevolent: proceeding from divine favour: acceptable.--_adv._
GR[=A]'CIOUSLY.--_ns._ GR[=A]'CIOUSNESS, state or quality of being
gracious, affability; GR[=A]CIOUS'ITY, the same, but usually in a bad
sense, as implying duplicity.--DAYS OF GRACE, three days allowed for the
payment of a note or bill of exchange, after being due according to its
date; FALL FROM GRACE, to backslide, to lapse from the state of grace and
salvation--an impossibility according to Calvinists.--GOOD GRACIOUS, an
exclamation of surprise.--IN THE GOOD GRACES OF, in the friendship of;
SAVING GRACE, divine grace so bestowed as to lead to salvation; TAKE HEART
OF GRACE, to take courage from favour shown. [Fr.,--L. _gratia_,
favour--_gratus_, agreeable; Gr. _charis_, grace.]
GRACILE, gras'il, _adj._ slender, gracefully slight in form.--_n._
GRACIL'ITY. [L. _gracilis_, slender.]
GRACKLE, grak'l, _n._ the common name of many birds of the starling family,
all tropical or subtropical.--Also GRAK'LE. [L. _graculus_, a jackdaw.]
GRADE, gr[=a]d, _n._ a degree or step in rank or dignity: the degree of
slope on a road as compared with the horizontal: a class of animals
produced by crossing a common breed with one purer--also _adj._: a group of
animals branching off from a common stem.--_v.t._ GR[=A]'DATE, to cause to
blend gradually from one tint of colour to another.--_v.i._ to effect
gradation.--_adv._ GRAD[=A]'TIM, gradually.--_n._ GRAD[=A]'TION, a rising
step by step: progress from one degree or state to another: position
attained: state of being arranged in ranks: (_mus._) a diatonic succession
of chords: (_paint._) the gradual blending of tints.--_adjs._
GRAD[=A]'TIONAL; GRAD[=A]'TIONED, formed by gradations or stages;
GRAD'ATORY, proceeding step by step, adapted for walking or forward
movement; GR[=A]'DIENT, gradually rising: rising with a regular
slope.--_n._ the degree of slope on a road or railway: the difference in
the height of the barometer between one place and another place at some
distance: an incline.--_ns._ GR[=A]D'IENTER, a surveyor's instrument for
determining grades; GR[=A]D'IN, GRADINE', one of a series of rising seats,
as in an amphitheatre: a raised step or ledge behind an altar; GRADIN'O, a
decoration for the gradin.--_adj._ GRAD'[=U]AL, advancing by grades or
degrees: regular and slow.--_n._ in the Roman Church, the portion of the
mass between the epistle and the gospel, formerly always sung from the
steps of the altar: the book containing such anthems--also GRAIL.--_ns._
GRAD'[=U]ALISM, GRAD[=U]AL'ITY.--_adv._ GRAD'[=U]ALLY.--_v.t._
GRAD'[=U][=A]TE, to divide into regular intervals: to mark with degrees: to
proportion.--_v.i._ to pass by grades or degrees: to pass through a
university course and receive a degree.--_n._ one admitted to a degree in a
college, university, or society.--_p.adj._ GRAD'[=U][=A]TED, marked with
degrees, as a thermometer.--_ns._ GRAD'UATESHIP; GRAD[=U][=A]'TION;
GRAD'[=U][=A]TOR, a mathematical instrument for graduating or dividing
lines into regular intervals; GRADUC'TION (_astron._), the division of
circular arcs into degrees, minutes, &c.; GR[=A]'DUS, a dictionary of Greek
or Latin prosody--contraction of _gradus ad Parnassum_, a step or stair to
Parnassus, the abode of the Muses.--DOWN, and UP, GRADE, a descending or
ascending part, as of a road. [Fr.,--L. _gradus_, a step--_gradi_, to
step.]
GRADELY, gr[=a]d'li, _adv._ (_prov._) readily, speedily.--Also GRAITH'LY.
GRADGRIND, gräd'gr[=i]nd, _n._ one who regulates all human things by rule
and compass and the mechanical application of statistics, allowing nothing
for sentiment, emotion, and individuality. [From Thomas _Gradgrind_ in
Dickens's _Hard Times_.]
GRAF, gräf, _n._ a German title of dignity equivalent to Count:--_fem._
GRÄFIN.
GRAFF, graf, _n._ (_Scot._) a grave. A variant of grave.
GRAFF, _n._ and _v._ (_B._). Same as GRAFT.
GRAFFITO, graf-f[=e]'to, _n._ the name given to certain classes of mural
inscriptions, such as the scribblings of schoolboys and idlers, found at
Pompeii, Rome, and other ancient cities:--_pl._ GRAFFITI (-f[=e]'t[=e]).
[It.--_graffiare_, to scratch--Low L. _graphium_, a style.]
GRAFT, graft, _v.t._ to make an incision in a tree or plant, and insert in
it a small branch of another, so as to make a union of the two: to insert
in something anything not belonging to it: to incorporate one thing with
another: to transplant, as a piece of tissue, from one part to
another.--_v.i._ to insert cuttings into a tree.--_n._ a small branch used
in grafting.--_ns._ GRAFT'ER; GRAFT'ING. [O. Fr. _graffe_ (Fr.
_greffe_)--L. _graphium_--a style or pencil (which the inserted slip
resembled)--Gr. _graphein_, to write.]
GRAIL, gr[=a]l, _n._ (_Spens._) small particles of any kind, as sand. [O.
Fr. _graile_ (Fr. _grêle_), hail--L. _gracilis_, slender.]
GRAIL, See GRADUAL.
GRAIL, gr[=a]l, _n._ in medieval legend, the Holy Cup used by Christ at the
Last Supper. [Orig. the _San Greal_, 'Holy Dish' (not _Sang Real_, 'Holy
Blood'), in which it is said Joseph of Arimathea collected our Lord's
blood; from O. Fr. _graal_ or _greal_, a flat dish--Low L. _gradale_, a
flat dish, app. a corr. of Low L. _cratella_, a dim. of _crater_, a bowl.
Diez suggests as the origin a lost _cratalis_, from _cratus_, Low L. form
of _crater_.]
GRAIN, gr[=a]n, _n._ a single small hard seed: (_coll._) the seeds of
certain plants which form the chief food of man: corn, in general: a minute
particle: a very small quantity: the smallest British weight, supposed to
be the average weight of a seed or well-ripened ear of corn: the
arrangement of the particles or fibres of anything, as stone or wood:
texture, as of leather: the crimson dye made from cochineal insects, which,
in the prepared state, resemble grains of seed--hence to _dye in grain_ is
to dye deeply, also to dye in the wool: innate quality or character of
anything.--_v.t._ to form into grains, cause to granulate: to paint in
imitation of wood, marble, &c.: in tanning, to take the hair off.--_n._
GRAIN'AGE, duties on grain.--_adj._ GRAINED, rough: furrowed.--_ns._
GRAIN'ER, one who paints in imitation of the grain of wood; GRAIN'ING,
painting so as to imitate the grain of wood: a process in tanning in which
the grain of the leather is raised.--_adj._ GRAIN'Y, having grains or
kernels.--GRAINS OF PARADISE, an aromatic and pungent seed imported from
Guinea.--AGAINST THE GRAIN, against the fibre of the wood--hence against
the natural temper or inclination; WITH A GRAIN OF SALT, with reservation,
as of a story that cannot be admitted (L. _cum grano salis_). [Fr.,--L.
_granum_, seed, akin to _corn_.]
GRAIN, gr[=a]n, _n._ a prong, fork: a kind of harpoon.
GRAINING, gr[=a]n'ing, _n._ a kind of dace found in the Mersey and in Swiss
lakes: a small fish of the same genus, resembling the dace.
GRAIP, gr[=a]p, _n._ (_Scot._) a three or four pronged fork used for
lifting dung or digging potatoes. [A form of _grope_. Cf. Sw. _grepe_, Dan.
_greb_.]
GRAITH, gr[=a]th, _n._ apparatus for work, travelling, &c.,
equipment.--_v.t._ (_Scot._) to make ready, to dress.--_adjs._ GRAITH,
GR[=A]DE, ready, free.--LIFT ONE'S GRAITH, to collect one's tools and leave
the mine. [Ice. _greidhr_, ready; cf. A.S. _ger['æ]de_, ready.]
GRAKLE. See GRACKLE.
GRALLÆ, gral'[=e], GRALLATORES, gral-a-t[=o]'r[=e]z, _n.pl._ an old order
of wading and running birds, including rails, snipes and curlews, cranes,
herons and bitterns, storks, and numerous other families.--_adjs._
GRALLAT[=O]'RIAL, GRALL'ATORY, GRALL'IC, GRALL'INE. [L.
_grallator_--_grallæ_, stilts, contr. of _gradulæ_, dim. of _gradus_, a
step--_gradi_, to step.]
GRALLOCH, GRALLOCK, gral'ok, _v.t._ to disembowel.