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Webster 1913 Edition

Grace

Grace

(grās)
,
Noun.
[F.
grâce
, L.
gratia
, from
gratus
beloved, dear, agreeable; perh. akin to Gr. [GREEK] to rejoice,
χάρισ
favor, grace, Skr.
hary
to desire, and E. yearn. Cf.
Grateful
,
Gratis
.]
1.
The exercise of love, kindness, mercy, favor; disposition to benefit or serve another; favor bestowed or privilege conferred.
To bow and sue for
grace

With suppliant knee.
Milton.
2.
(Theol.)
The divine favor toward man; the mercy of God, as distinguished from His justice; also, any benefits His mercy imparts; divine love or pardon; a state of acceptance with God; enjoyment of the divine favor.
And if by
grace
, then is it no more of works.
Rom. xi. 6.
My
grace
is sufficicnt for thee.
2 Cor. xii. 9.
Where sin abounded,
grace
did much more abound.
Rom. v. 20.
By whom also we have access by faith into this
grace
wherein we stand.
Rom. v.2
3.
(Law)
(a)
The prerogative of mercy execised by the executive, as pardon.
(b)
The same prerogative when exercised in the form of equitable relief through chancery.
4.
Fortune; luck; – used commonly with hard or sorry when it means misfortune.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
5.
Inherent excellence; any endowment or characteristic fitted to win favor or confer pleasure or benefit.
He is complete in feature and in mind.
With all good
grace
to grace a gentleman.
Shakespeare
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.
Blair.
6.
Beauty, physical, intellectual, or moral; loveliness; commonly, easy elegance of manners; perfection of form.
Grace
in women gains the affections sooner, and secures them longer, than any thing else.
Hazlitt.
I shall answer and thank you again For the gift and the
grace
of the gift.
Longfellow.
7.
pl.
(Myth.)
Graceful and beautiful females, sister goddesses, represented by ancient writers as the attendants sometimes of Apollo but oftener of Venus. They were commonly mentioned as three in number; namely, Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia, and were regarded as the inspirers of the qualities which give attractiveness to wisdom, love, and social intercourse.
The
Graces
love to weave the rose.
Moore.
The Loves delighted, and the
Graces
played.
Prior.
8.
The title of a duke, a duchess, or an archbishop, and formerly of the king of England.
How fares your
Grace
!
Shakespeare
9.
(Commonly pl.)
Thanks.
[Obs.]
Yielding
graces
and thankings to their lord Melibeus.
Chaucer.
10.
A petition for grace; a blessing asked, or thanks rendered, before or after a meal.
11.
pl.
(Mus.)
Ornamental notes or short passages, either introduced by the performer, or indicated by the composer, in which case the notation signs are called grace notes, appeggiaturas, turns, etc.
12.
(Eng. Universities)
An act, vote, or decree of the government of the institution; a degree or privilege conferred by such vote or decree.
Walton.
13.
pl.
A play designed to promote or display grace of motion. It consists in throwing a small hoop from one player to another, by means of two sticks in the hands of each. Called also
grace hoop
or
hoops
.
Act of grace
.
See under
Act
.
–
Day of grace
(Theol.)
,
the time of probation, when the offer of divine forgiveness is made and may be accepted.

–
Days of grace
(Com.)
,
the days immediately following the day when a bill or note becomes due, which days are allowed to the debtor or payer to make payment in. In Great Britain and the United States, the days of grace are three, but in some countries more, the usages of merchants being different.
–
Good graces
,
favor; friendship.
–
Grace cup
.
(a)
A cup or vessel in which a health is drunk after grace.
(b)
A health drunk after grace has been said.
–
Grace drink
,
a drink taken on rising from the table; a grace cup.
–
Grace hoop
,
a hoop used in playing graces. See
Grace
,
Noun.
, 13.
–
Grace note
(Mus.)
,
an appoggiatura. See
Appoggiatura
, and def. 11 above.
–
Grace stroke
,
a finishing stoke or touch; a coup de grace.
–
Means of grace
,
means of securing knowledge of God, or favor with God, as the preaching of the gospel, etc.
–
To do grace
,
to reflect credit upon.
–
To say grace
,
to render thanks before or after a meal.
–
With a good grace
,
in a fit and proper manner grace fully; graciously.
–
With a bad grace
,
in a forced, reluctant, or perfunctory manner; ungraciously.
Syn. – Elegance; comeliness; charm; favor; kindness; mercy.
–
Grace
,
Mercy
. These words, though often interchanged, have each a distinctive and peculiar meaning. Grace, in the strict sense of the term, is spontaneous favor to the guilty or undeserving; mercy is kindness or compassion to the suffering or condemned. It was the grace of God that opened a way for the exercise of mercy toward men. See
Elegance
.

Grace

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Graced
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Gracing
.]
1.
To adorn; to decorate; to embellish and dignify.
Great Jove and Phoebus graced his noble line.
Pope.
We are
graced
with wreaths of victory.
Shakespeare
2.
To dignify or raise by an act of favor; to honor.
He might, at his pleasure,
grace
or disgrace whom he would
in court.
Knolles.
3.
To supply with heavenly grace.
Bp. Hall.
4.
(Mus.)
To add grace notes, cadenzas, etc., to.

Webster 1828 Edition

Grace

GRACE

,
Noun.
[L. gratia, which is formed on the Celtic; Eng. agree, congruous, and ready. The primary sense of gratus, is free, ready, quick, willing, prompt, from advancing.]
1.
Favor; good will; kindness; disposition to oblige another; as a grant made as an act of grace.
Or each, or all, may win a lady's grace.
2.
Appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him.
And if by grace,then it is no more of works. Rom.11.
3.
Favorable influence of God; divine influence or the influence of the spirit, in renewing the heart and restraining from sin.
My grace is sufficient for thee. 2 Cor.12.
4.
The application of Christ's righteousness to the sinner.
Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Rom.5.
5.
A state of reconciliation to God. Rom.5.2.
6.
Virtuous or religious affection or disposition, as a liberal disposition, faith, meekness, humility, patience, &c. proceeding from divine influence.
7.
Spiritual instruction, improvement and edification. Eph.4.29.
8.
Apostleship, or the qualifications of an apostle. Eph. 3.8.
9.
Eternal life; final salvation. 1 Pet.1.13.
10. Favor; mercy; pardon.
Bow and sue for grace
With suppliant knee.
11. Favor conferred.
I should therefore esteem it a great favor and grace.
12. Privilege.
To few great Jupiter imparts this grace.
13. That in manner, deportment or language which renders it appropriate and agreeable; suitableness; elegance with appropriate dignity. We say, a speaker delivers his address with grace; a man performs his part with grace.
Grace was in all her steps.
Her purple habit sits with such a grace
On her smooth shoulders.
14. Natural or acquired excellence; any endowment that recommends the possessor to others; as the graces of wit and learning.
15. Beauty; embellishment; in general, whatever adorns and recommends to favor; sometimes, a single beauty.
I pass their form and every charming grace.
16. Beauty deified; among pagans, a goddess. The graces were three in number, Aglaia, Thalia, and Euphrosyne, the constant attendants of Venus.
The loves delighted, and the graces played.
17. Virtue physical; as the grace of plants. [Not used.]
18. The title of a duke or an archbishop, and formerly of the king of England, meaning your goodness or clemency. His Grace the Duke of York. Your Grace will please to accept my thanks.
19. A short prayer before or after meat; a blessing asked, or thanks rendered.
20. In music, graces signifies turns, trills and shakes introduced for embellishment.
Day in grace, in theology, time of probation, when an offer is made to sinners.
Days in grace, in commerce, the days immediately following the day when a bill or note becomes due, which days are allowed to the debtor or payor to make payment in. In Great Britain and the United States the days of grace are three, but in other countries more; the usages of merchants being different.

GRACE

,
Verb.
T.
To adorn; to decorate; to embellish and dignify.
Great Jove and Phoebus graced his noble line.
And hail, ye fair, of every charm possess'd,
Who grace this rising empire of the west.
1.
To dignify or raise by act of favor; to honor.
He might at his pleasure grace or disgrace whom
he would in court.
2.
To favor; to honor.
3.
To supply with heavenly grace.

Definition 2024

Grace

Grace

See also: grace, Graces, grâce, and Grâce

English

Proper noun

Grace

  1. A female given name.
    • 1648 Robert Herrick, Hesperides:
      To The Handsome Mistress Grace Potter: As is your name, so is your comely face / Touch'd everywhere with such a diffused grace /
    • 1839 George William MacArthur Reynolds: Grace Darling, or the Heroine of the Fern Islands: page 24:
      Grace does not belie her name; for she is indeed a sweet girl, modest and unassuming, and appearing to be unconscious of having done anything great or noble. - OBSERVER, Dec.16, 1838.
    • 1965 Naomi Long Madgett: Her Story, Star By Star, Harlo Press :
      They named me Grace and waited for a light and agile dancer. / But some trick of genes mixed me up / And instead I turned out big and black and burly.
    • 2002 Deborah Paul, Amazing Grace, Indianapolis Monthly, June 2002, page 249:
      Had I given birth to a daughter of my own, I'd like to have called her Grace, a classic and poetic name, one that illuminates a person of dignity and poise.
  2. A city in Idaho.
  3. An unincorporated community in Kentucky.
  4. An unincorporated community in Mississippi.

Translations

Anagrams

grace

grace

See also: Grace, Graces, grâce, and Grâce

English

Noun

grace ‎(countable and uncountable, plural graces)

  1. (not countable) Elegant movement; poise or balance.
    The dancer moved with grace and strength.‎
  2. (not countable) Charming, pleasing qualities.
    The Princess brought grace to an otherwise dull and boring party.‎
    • 1699, William Temple, Heads designed for an essay on conversations
      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.
    • Blair
      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.
  3. (not countable, theology) Free and undeserved favour, especially of God. Unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification.
    I'm so grateful to God for the grace that He has given me.‎
  4. (not countable, theology) Divine assistance in resisting sin.
  5. (countable) Short prayer of thanks before or after a meal.
    It has become less common to say grace before having dinner.‎
    For examples of the use of this sense see: citations.‎
  6. (finance) An allowance of time granted for a debtor during which he is free of at least part of his normal obligations towards the creditor.
    The repayment of the loan starts after a three-year grace (period).‎
  7. (card games) A special move in a solitaire or patience game that is normally against the rules.

Related terms

Translations

Verb

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.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Alexander Pope
      Great Jove and Phoebus graced his noble line.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare
      We are graced with wreaths of victory.
  2. (transitive) To dignify or raise by an act of favour; to honour.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Knolles
      He might, at his pleasure, grace or disgrace whom he would in court.
  3. (transitive) To supply with heavenly grace.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Bishop Hall to this entry?)
  4. (transitive, music) To add grace notes, cadenzas, etc., to.

Synonyms

Translations

Anagrams

Old French

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin grātia.

Noun

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

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

Descendants

References

Etymology

From the noun grace, first used by Puritans in the 16th century. In Roman Catholic use it may refer to Our Lady of Graces, cognate with Italian Grazia.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡɹeɪs/

Similar Results