grave Definition

grave¹
noun

1. A deep trench dug in the ground for burying a dead body.

Thesaurus: crypt, tomb, vault, mausoleum, sepulcher, catacomb, charnel, barrow, cairn.
2. The site of an individual burial.
3. literary
Death.
Form: the grave

Idiom: dig one's own grave

See under dig.

Idiom: turn in one's grave

See under turn.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon græf grave or trench, from grafan to dig.

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grave²
adj graver, gravest

1. Giving cause for great concern; very dangerous.

Thesaurus: life-threatening, dangerous, critical, serious, perilous, hazardous, acute; Antonym: mild.
2. Very important; serious.

Thesaurus: important, momentous, pressing, urgent, vital, weighty, crucial, significant, imperative, exigent; Antonym: trivial, unimportant.
3. Solemn and serious in manner.

Thesaurus: solemn, serious, sober, quiet, earnest, dour, dull, grim, restrained, leaden, sedate; Antonym: cheerful.

Derivative: gravely
adverb

Derivative: graveness
noun

(more commonly gravity sense 2).

Etymology: 16c: from Latin gravis.

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grave³
grave accent
noun

1. A sign placed above a vowel in some languages, eg à and è in French, to indicate a particular pronunciation or extended length of the vowel.

Etymology: 17c: French.

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grave⁴
adverb

1. music.
In a solemn manner.

adj

1. Slow and solemn.

Etymology: 17c: Italian.