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grave²

(grāv)

adj. grav·er, grav·est

1. Requiring serious thought; momentous: a grave decision in a time of crisis.

2. Fraught with danger or harm: a grave wound.

3. Dignified and somber in conduct or character: a grave procession. See Synonyms at serious.

4. Somber or dark in hue.

5. (also gräv) Linguistics

a. Written with or modified by the mark ( ` ), as the è in Sèvres.

b. Of or referring to a phonetic feature that distinguishes sounds produced at the periphery of the vocal tract, as in labial and velar consonants and back vowels.

n. (also gräv)

See grave accent.

[French, from Old French, from Latin gravis; see g^werə-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

gravely adv.

graveness n.

gra·ve⁵

(grävā)

adv. & adj.
Music

In a slow and solemn manner. Used chiefly as a direction.

[Italian, from Latin gravis, heavy; see GRAVE².]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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