Part 576

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. -- 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.

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.

Graced (?), a. Endowed with grace; beautiful; full of graces; honorable. Shak.

Grace"ful (?), a. Displaying grace or beauty in form or action; elegant; easy; agreeable in appearance; as, a graceful walk, deportment, speaker, air, act, speech.

High o'er the rest in arms the graceful Turnus rode.

Dryden.

-- Grace"ful*ly, adv. Grace"ful*ness, n.

Grace"less, a. 1. Wanting in grace or excellence; departed from, or deprived of, divine grace; hence, depraved; corrupt. "In a graceless age." Milton.

2. Unfortunate. Cf. Grace, n., 4. [Obs.] Chaucer.

-- Grace"less*ly, adv. -- Grace"less-ness, n.

{ Grac"ile (?), Grac"il*lent (?) } a. [L. gracilis, gracilentus.] Slender; thin. [Obs.] Bailey.

Gra*cil"i*ty (?), n. [L. gracilitas; cf. F. gracilitÈ.] State of being gracilent; slenderness. Milman. "Youthful gracility." W. D. Howells.