Etymology

From Middle EnglishCategory:English terms inherited from Middle English#GRACECategory:English terms derived from Middle English#GRACE grace, from Old FrenchCategory:English terms derived from Old French#GRACE grace (modern French grâce), from LatinCategory:English terms derived from Latin#GRACE grātia (“kindness, favour, esteem”), from grātus (“pleasing”), from Proto-Indo-EuropeanCategory:English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European#GRACE *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

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ɡɹeɪs/Category:English 1-syllable words#GRACECategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#GRACE

• Audio (Received Pronunciation):

  (file)

  Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#GRACE

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

  Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#GRACE
• Rhymes: -eɪsCategory:Rhymes:English/eɪs#GRACECategory:Rhymes:English/eɪs/1 syllable#GRACE

Noun

grace (countable and uncountable, plural graces)Category:English lemmas#GRACECategory:English nouns#GRACECategory:English uncountable nouns#GRACECategory:English countable nouns#GRACECategory:English countable nouns#GRACECategory:English entries with incorrect language header#GRACECategory:Pages with entries#GRACECategory:Pages with 4 entries#GRACE

1. (countableCategory:English countable nouns#GRACE, uncountableCategory:English uncountable nouns#GRACE) Charming, pleasing qualities.

   The Princess brought grace to an otherwise dull and boring party.Category:English terms with usage examples#GRACE

   • 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.

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   • 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.

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2. (countableCategory:English countable nouns#GRACE) A short prayer of thanks before or after a meal.

   It has become less common to say grace before having dinner.Category:English terms with usage examples#GRACE

3. (countableCategory:English countable nouns#GRACE, card gamesCategory:en:Card games#GRACE) In the games of patience or solitaire: a special move that is normally against the rules.
4. (countableCategory:English countable nouns#GRACE, musicCategory:en:Music#GRACE) 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.

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6. (uncountableCategory:English uncountable nouns#GRACE) Elegant movement; elegance of movement; balance or poise.

   Synonym: gracefulness

   Hyponym: dexterousness

   The dancer moved with grace and strength.

   Category:English terms with usage examples#GRACE

7. (uncountableCategory:English uncountable nouns#GRACE, financeCategory:en:Finance#GRACE) An allowance of time granted to a debtor during which they are free of at least part of their normal obligations towards the creditor.

   The repayment of the loan starts after a three-year grace.Category:English terms with usage examples#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'.

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9. (uncountableCategory:English uncountable nouns#GRACE, theologyCategory:en:Theology#GRACE) Free and undeserved favour, especially of God; unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification, or for resisting sin.

   Near-synonyms: Divine Providence, Providence

   divine graceCategory:English terms with collocations#GRACE;   the grace of GodCategory:English terms with collocations#GRACE

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Corinthians 15:10:

     But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed vpō me, was not in vaine: But I laboured more abundantly then they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me:

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   • 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.

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10. An act or decree of the governing body of an English university.
11. (archaicCategory:English terms with archaic senses#GRACE) Mercy, pardon.

Verb

grace (third-person singular simple present graces, present participle gracing, simple past and past participle graced)Category:English lemmas#GRACECategory:English verbs#GRACECategory:English entries with incorrect language header#GRACECategory:Pages with entries#GRACECategory:Pages with 4 entries#GRACE

1. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#GRACE) To adorn; to decorate; to embellish and dignify.

   He graced the room with his presence.Category:English terms with usage examples#GRACE

   He graced the room by simply being there.Category:English terms with usage examples#GRACE

   His portrait graced a landing on the stairway.Category:English terms with usage examples#GRACE

   • c. 1699 – 1703, Alexander Pope, “The First Book of Statius His Thebais”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717, →OCLC:

     Great Jove and Phoebus graced his noble line.

     Category:English terms with quotations#GRACE

   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:

     We are graced with wreaths of victory.

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   • 2026 April 1, Philip Haigh, “Close encounter with '185s' inside Ardwick depot...”, in RAIL, number 1058, page 42:

     I wasn't at the launch back in 2006, but I had attended Siemens and TPE unveiling the type's mock-up back in April 2004, with a picture that graced the cover of RAIL 486.

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2. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#GRACE) 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.

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3. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#GRACE) 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

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4. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#GRACE, musicCategory:en:Music#GRACE) 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#.

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Further reading

• grace on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors ((Can we date this quote?)), “grace”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• garce, cager

Etymology 1

From Old FrenchCategory:Middle English terms borrowed from Old French#GRACECategory:Middle English terms derived from Old French#GRACE grace, from LatinCategory:Middle English terms derived from Latin#GRACE grātia.

Etymology 2

From Old EnglishCategory:Middle English terms inherited from Old English#GRACECategory:Middle English terms derived from Old English#GRACE græs.

Alternative forms

• gratia (10th century)

Etymology

Borrowed from LatinCategory:Old French terms borrowed from Latin#GRACECategory:Old French terms derived from Latin#GRACE grātia.

Noun

grace oblique singular, f (oblique plural graces, nominative singular grace, nominative plural graces)Category:Old French lemmas#GRACECategory:Old French nouns#GRACECategory:Old French feminine nouns#GRACECategory:Old French entries with incorrect language header#GRACECategory:Old French feminine nouns#GRACECategory:Pages with entries#GRACECategory:Pages with 4 entries#GRACE

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

References

• Frédéric Godefroy (1880–1902), “grace”, in Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle […], Paris: F[riedrich] Vieweg; Émile Bouillon, →OCLC.
• grace on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub

Etymology

Borrowed from FrenchCategory:Swedish terms borrowed from French#GRACECategory:Swedish terms derived from French#GRACE grâce, from LatinCategory:Swedish terms derived from Latin#GRACE gratia. Doublet of graciös and gratisCategory:Swedish doublets#GRACE.

Noun

grace cCategory:Swedish lemmas#GRACECategory:Swedish nouns#GRACECategory:Swedish entries with incorrect language header#GRACECategory:Swedish common-gender nouns#GRACECategory:Pages with entries#GRACECategory:Pages with 4 entries#GRACE

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

   Category:Swedish terms with usage examples#GRACE

3. (in the plural) Graces (goddesses in Ancient Greek mythology)

   Synonym: gratie

References

• “grace”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “grace”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “grace”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)