grace

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See also Grace, Graces, and grâce

English

Etymology

From Middle English grace, from Old French grace (Modern French grâce), from Latin grātia "kindness, favour, esteem", from grātus ‘pleasing’ from Proto-Indo-European *gwer- (to praise, welcome). Compare grateful. Displaced native Middle English held, hield "grace" (from Old English held, hyld "grace"), Middle English este "grace, favour, pleasure" (from Old English ēste "grace, kindness, favour"), Middle English athmede(n) "grace" (from Old English ēadmēdu "grace"), Middle English are, ore "grace, mercy, honour" (from Old English ār "grace, kindness, mercy").

Pronunciation

Noun

grace (countable and uncountable; plural graces)

  1. (not countable) Elegant movement; poise or balance.
  2. (not countable, theology) Free and undeserved favour, especially of God. Unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification.
  3. (not countable, theology) Divine assistance in resisting sin.
  4. (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.
  5. (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 years' grace (period).

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check 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.
    • Alexander Pope
      Great Jove and Phoebus graced his noble line.
    • Shakespeare
      We are graced with wreaths of victory.
  2. (transitive) To dignify or raise by an act of favour; to honour.
    • 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.

Translations

Anagrams

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Last modified on 1 April 2013, at 08:30