grace

Wikipedia

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

• IPA: /ɡɹeɪs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪs

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

Terms derived from grace (noun)

good graces graceful

graceless gracious

say grace

Translations

elegant movement, poise or balance

• Armenian: նազանք (hy) (nazank')
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 優雅 (cmn), 优雅 (cmn) (yōuyǎ)

• Dutch: gratie (nl) f, elegantie (nl) f
• Finnish: ylväys, sulous
• French: grâce (fr) f
• German: Anmut (de) f, Grazie (de) f
• Greek: χάρη (el) (chári) f

  Ancient: χάρις f

• Hungarian: báj (hu)
• Japanese: 雅やか (ja) (みやびやか, miyabiyaka), 優雅 (ja) (ゆうが, yūga)
• Khmer: លីឡ្នា (km) (liilhaa)
• Polish: wdzięk m, gracja f
• Portuguese: graça (pt) f
• Romanian: grație (ro) f, eleganță (ro) f
• Russian: грация (ru) (grácija) f, изящество (ru) (izjáščestvo) n
• Spanish: gracia (es) f
• Turkish: görgü (tr), incelik (tr), zarâfet (tr)

free and undeserved favour, especially of God

• Armenian: ողորմածություն (hy) (oġormaçut'yun)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 恩典 (cmn) (ēndiǎn), 恩惠 (cmn) (ēnhuì)

• Dutch: genade (nl) m and f
• Ewe: amenuveve
• Finnish: armo (fi)
• French: grâce (fr) f, miséricorde (fr) f
• German: Gnade (de) f, Gunst (de) f
• Greek: χάρη (el) (chári) f, (non-religious context) παραχώρηση (el) (parachórisi) f
• Hungarian: kegyelem (hu)
• Japanese: 加護 (ja) (かご, kago), 恩恵 (ja) (おんけい, onkei)
• Khmer: សីល (km) (səl)

• Macedonian: благонаклоност (mk) (blagonáklonost) f, милост (mk) (mílost) f
• Norwegian:
  • Bokmål: nåde
• Persian: منت (fa) (minnat')
• Polish: łaska (pl) f
• Portuguese: graça (pt)
• Romanian: har (ro), grație (ro) f
• Russian: милость (ru) (mílostʹ) f, милосердие (ru) (milosjérdije) n, благоволение (ru) (bllagovolénije) n, благосклонность (ru) (blagosklónnostʹ) f
• Spanish: gracia (es) f, merced (es) f
• Swahili: neema (sw)

divine assistance in resisting sin

• Armenian: շնորհ (hy) (šnorh)
• Finnish: armo (fi)
• French: grâce (fr) f
• German: Gnade (de) f, Gunst (de) f
• Greek: χάρη (el) (chári) f

• Japanese: 加護 (ja) (かご, kago)
• Macedonian: благонаклоност (mk) (blagonáklonost) f
• Romanian: grație (ro) f
• Russian: благодать (ru) (blagodátʹ) f, милость (ru) (mílostʹ) f
• Turkish: lutuf (tr), merhamet (tr)

short prayer before or after a meal

• Finnish: ruokarukous (fi)
• French: bénédicité (fr) m, grâce (fr) (after meal, often plural)
• German: Tischgebet (de) n, Huld (de) f
• Italian: benedicite (it) m
• Japanese: 祈り (ja) (いのり, inori)
• Norwegian: bordbønn (no) m

• Polish: dziękczynienie (pl)
• Romanian: rugăciune de mulțumire (ro) f
• Russian: молитва (ru) (molítva) f (пе́ред едо́й и по́сле еды́)
• Spanish: gracias (es)
• Turkish: şükran duâsı (tr)

relief period for a debtor

• Dutch: uitstel van betaling (nl)
• Finnish: vapaajakso (fi)
• German: Aufschub (de) m, Fristverlängerung (de) f, Zahlungsfrist (de) f
• Greek: περίοδος χάριτος (el) (períodos cháritos), παράταση (el) (parátasi) f
• Japanese: 支払猶予期間 (ja) (しはらいゆうよきかん, shiharai yūyo kikan)

• Macedonian: грејс период (mk) (gréjs periód) m
• Norwegian: betalingsutsettelse (no) m
• Romanian: termen de grație (ro) n
• Russian: отсрочка (ru) (otsróčka) f, передышка (ru) (peredýška) f
• Turkish: ertelenme süresi (tr)

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.

Translations to be checked

• Ewe: amenuveve
• Esperanto: graco
• Old English: ār (2), milts f (2)
• Portuguese: graça f (1,2)
• Romanian: grație f

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

to adorn; to decorate; to embellish and dignify

• Finnish: komistaa (fi), juhlistaa (fi)
• German: schmücken (de), zieren (de)
• Greek: κοσμώ (el) (kosmó)
• Italian: preghiera (it)
• Japanese: 名誉を与える (めいよをあたえる, meiyo o ataeru)

• Macedonian: краси (mk) (krási)
• Romanian: onora (ro), împodobi (ro)
• Russian: почтить (ru) (počtít')

Anagrams

• cager