Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

grace       (grās)  Pronunciation Key  n.   Seemingly effortless beauty or charm of movement, form, or proportion. A characteristic or quality pleasing for its charm or refinement. A sense of fitness or propriety. A disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill. Mercy; clemency. Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people. The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God. An excellence or power granted by God. A favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence. A temporary immunity or exemption; a reprieve. Graces Greek & Roman Mythology Three sister goddesses, known in Greek mythology as Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia, who dispense charm and beauty. Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people. The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God. An excellence or power granted by God. A short prayer of blessing or thanksgiving said before or after a meal. Grace Used with His, Her, or Your as a title and form of address for a duke, duchess, or archbishop. Music An appoggiatura, trill, or other musical ornanment in the music of 16th and 17th century England. tr.v.   graced, grac·ing, grac·es To honor or favor: You grace our table with your presence. To give beauty, elegance, or charm to. Music To embellish with grace notes. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin grātia, from grātus, pleasing; see gwerə-2 in Indo-European roots.]

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
grace 

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

grace
noun
1.	(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence; "the conception of grace developed alongside the conception of sin"; "it was debated whether saving grace could be obtained outside the membership of the church"; "the Virgin lived in a state of grace"
2.	elegance and beauty of movement or expression; "a beautiful figure which she used in subtle movements of unparalleled grace"
3.	a sense of propriety and consideration for others; "a place where the company of others must be accepted with good grace" [syn: seemliness] [ant: unseemliness]
4.	a disposition to kindness and compassion; "the victor's grace in treating the vanquished"
5.	(Greek mythology) one of three sisters who were the givers of beauty and charm; a favorite subject for sculptors
6.	a short prayer of thanks before a meal; "their youngest son said grace"
7.	(Christian theology) the free and unmerited favor or beneficence of God; "God's grace is manifested in the salvation of sinners"; "there but for the grace of God go I"
verb
1.	make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; "Decorate the room for the party"; "beautify yourself for the special day" [syn: decorate]
2.	be beautiful to look at; "Flowers adorned the tables everywhere" [syn: deck]

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

grace

see fall from grace; in someone's bad graces; in someone's good graces; saving grace; say grace; there but for the grace of god; with good grace.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: grace
Function: noun
1 : a special favor : PRIVILEGE grace and not of right —The Mentally Disabled and the Law>
2 a : a temporary exemption b : the prerogative of mercy exercised (as by a chief executive) or granted in the form of equitable relief

U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Grace City, ND (city, FIPS 31740) Location: 47.55046 N, 98.80398 W
Population (1990): 108 (49 housing units)
Area: 1.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 58445

Grace, ID (city, FIPS 32500) Location: 42.57634 N, 111.73003 W
Population (1990): 973 (379 housing units)
Area: 2.5 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 83241

Havre De Grace, MD Zip code(s): 21078

Havre de Grace, MD (city, FIPS 37600) Location: 39.54717 N, 76.09899 W
Population (1990): 8952 (3786 housing units)
Area: 8.6 sq km (land), 3.5 sq km (water)

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Grace

Grace\, n. [F. gr[^a]ce, L. gratia, from gratus beloved, dear, agreeable; perh. akin to Gr. ? to rejoice, ? 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. --Shak.

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 ! --Shak.

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.

That day of grace fleets fast away. --I. Watts.

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.

The grace cup follows to his sovereign's health. --Hing.

Grace drink, a drink taken on rising from the table; a grace cup.

To [Queen Margaret, of Scotland] . . . we owe the custom of the grace drink, she having established it as a rule at her table, that whosoever staid till grace was said was rewarded with a bumper. --Encyc. Brit.

Grace hoop, a hoop used in playing graces. See Grace, n., 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.

Content to do the profession some grace. --Shak.

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.

What might have been done with a good grace would at least be done with a bad grace. --Macaulay.

Syn: Elegance; comeliness; charm; favor; kindness; mercy.

Usage: 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.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Grace

Grace\, v. 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. --Shak.

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.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Grace

(1.) Of form or person (Prov. 1:9; 3:22; Ps. 45:2). (2.) Favour, kindness, friendship (Gen. 6:8; 18:3; 19:19; 2 Tim. 1:9). (3.) God's forgiving mercy (Rom. 11:6; Eph. 2:5). (4.) The gospel as distinguished from the law (John 1:17; Rom. 6:14; 1 Pet. 5:12). (5.) Gifts freely bestowed by God; as miracles, prophecy, tongues (Rom. 15:15; 1 Cor. 15:10; Eph. 3:8). (6.) Christian virtues (2 Cor. 8:7; 2 Pet. 3:18). (7.) The glory hereafter to be revealed (1 Pet. 1:13).