Dictionary
grave
Pronunciation: (grāv), [key]—
n.
1. an excavation made in the earth in which to bury a dead body.
2. any place of interment; a tomb or sepulcher:
a watery grave.
3. any place that becomes the receptacle of what is dead, lost, or past:
the grave of unfulfilled ambitions.
4. death:
O grave, where is thy victory?
5. have one foot in the grave, to be so frail, sick, or old that death appears imminent:
It was a shock to see my uncle looking as if he had one foot in the grave.
6. make (one) turn or turn over in one's grave, to do something to which a specified dead person would have objected bitterly:
This production of Hamlet
is enough to make Shakespeare turn in his grave.grave
Pronunciation: (grāv; for 4, 6 also gräv), [key]
—adj., grav•er, grav•est for 1–3, 5,
—n.
—
adj.
1. serious or solemn; sober:
a grave person; grave thoughts.
2. weighty, momentous, or important:
grave responsibilities.
3. threatening a seriously bad outcome or involving serious issues; critical:
a grave situation; a grave illness.
4. Gram.
a. unaccented.
b. spoken on a low or falling pitch.
c. noting or having a particular accent (`) indicating originally a comparatively low pitch (as in French
père), distinct syllabic value (as in English
belovèd), etc. (opposed to
acute).
5. (of colors) dull; somber.
—
n.
the grave accent.
grave
Pronunciation: (grāv), [key]—
v.t., graved, grav•en or graved, grav•ing.
1. to carve, sculpt, or engrave.
2. to impress deeply:
graven on the mind. grave
Pronunciation: (grāv), [key]—
v.t., graved, grav•ing.
Naut.
to clean and apply a protective composition of tar to (the bottom of a ship).
gra•ve
Pronunciation: (grä'vā; It.grä've), [key] Music.
—
adj.
slow; solemn.
—
adv.
slowly; solemnly.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
