grace stroke

A finishing touch or stroke; a coup-de-grace. "To perfect and give the grace - stroke to that very liberal education."-Scotland Characterized (1701) in Harl. Mis oell ., vii. 377. grāçe, v. t. [GRACE, 8.] I. Ordinary Language: *1. To adorn, to decorate, to set off. "Ten hardy striplings, all in bright attire, And graced with shining weapons." Words worth: Excursion, bk. vii. 2. To add grace or dignity to; to endow. "With many a social virtue graced ." Long fellow: Tales of a Wayside Inn. (Prel.) *3. To celebrate. "And indeed great reason it was, that he that was Lord of Heaven should have his descending into the flesh graced and owned with the testimonies of stars and angels." South: Sermons, vol. xi., ser. 4. *4. 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: History of the Turks. *5. To exalt; to praise. "I will grace the attempt for a worthy exploit." Shakesp.: All's Well that Ends Well , iii. 6. *6. To favor; to oblige. IMG:content-0668.png:[blocks in formation] 2054 *grā'çe-cup, s . [Eng. grace , and cup .] gracula grace. 2. A health drank after grace. "The grace cup follows to his Sovereign's health." King: Art of Cookery, 275. grāçed, pa . par . & a . [GRACE, v.] A. As pa.par .: (See the verb.) B. As adjective : 1. Endowed with graces; graceful; elegant; dig nified. IMG:content-0669.png:[blocks in formation] grā çe-ful, a. [ Eng.grace; -ful(1).] 1. Full of or displaying grace or beauty in form or action; elegant; neat; handsome. "My boy was by my side, so slim And graceful in his rustic dre ." Words worth: Anecdote for Fathers. 2. Elegant, well-chosen, becoming. "He took his seat there with the mace at his right hand, rose, and in a few graceful words returned his thanks." Macaulay : Hist . Eng ., ch. xiv. (1) Crabb thus discriminates between graceful , comely, and elegant : “A graceful figure is rendered so by the deportment of the body. A comely figure has that in itself which pleases the eye. Elegant is applicable, like graceful , to the motion of the body, or like comely , to the person, and is extended in its meaning also to the words and even to the dre . A person's step is graceful ; his air or his movements are elegant ; the grace of an action lies chiefly in its adaptation to the occasion." ( Crabb : Eng. Synon.) (2) For the difference between graceful and be coming , see BECOMING. grā çe-fül-lý, adv . [Eng. graceful ; -ly.] In a graceful or elegant manner; elegantly; with gracefulne or elegance of manner or deportment. "Lamps gracefully disposed, and of all hues, Illumined every side." Cowper : Task , v. 149. grā'çe-fül-ne , s. [Eng. graceful ; -ne .] The quality or state of being graceful; grace; elegance of manner or deportment; dignity with beauty. "In like manner the flowers and adornments of Moral Philosophy, are apt and serviceable for the affecting and entertaining our Imagination by the gracefulne and elegancy of their persuasions."-Mountagu: Devout E ays, pt. i., tr. 19, § 3. grā çe-le , *grace-le e, a. [ Eng.grace; -le .] Void of grace or dignity; corrupt; depraved; aban doned. "A gracele heart."-Cowper: Olney Hymns, lviii. †grā çe-lě -lỹ, adv . [Eng. gracele ; -ly.] In a gracele manner; without grace or elegance. "The French, in his whole language, hath not one word that hath his accent in the last syllable, saving two, called antepenultima ; and little more hath the Spanish; and therefore very gracele ly may they use dactyls." Sidney : Defence of Poesy. IMG:content-0670.png:[blocks in formation] The quality or state of being gracele . grăç-1-lär-I-a, 8. [Lat. gracil ( is )=thin, slender, and suff. -aria.] 1. Bot .: A genus of rose-spored Alge. It contains the Corsican and Ceylon "mo es. Called also Plocaria (q. v.). 2. Entom .: The typical genus of the family Gracilariidæ (q. v.). Gracilaria syringella discolors the leaves of the lilac in the middle of the summer, and the larva of G. stigma tell a in August and September rolls the leaves of willow, sallow, and poplar, on which it feeds, into the form of a sugar-loaf. ( Stainton .) grăç-I-lär-I-1-dæ, s . pl . [Mod. Lat. gracilari ( a ), and Lat. fem. pl. adj. suff. -idæ . Named from the graceful appearance of these insects.] Entom.: A family of Moths, group Tineina. The antenne are as long as the anterior wings, which are elongate, the posterior ones lanceolate. The insect reposes with its head much raised. Larvæ, with fourteen legs, mining in leaves or rolling themselves up. ( Stainton .) *grăç-ile, *grăç-1-lent, a. [Latin gracilis , gracilentus.] Slender, small. grăç-1-lis, s. [Lat.=thin, slender.] Anat.: A slender muscle of the thigh, connecting it with the trunk. Called also the Abductor gracilis.