Adjacent Words

Grail definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GRAIL, n. [L. graduale.] A book of offices in the Romish church.
GRAIL, n. Small particles of any kind.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the object of any prolonged endeavor
2: (legend) chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper [syn: grail, Holy Grail, Sangraal]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English greal, graal, from Middle French, bowl, grail, from Medieval Latin gradalis 1. capitalized the cup or platter used according to medieval legend by Christ at the Last Supper and thereafter the object of knightly quests 2. the object of an extended or difficult quest

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (in full Holy Grail) 1 (in medieval legend) the cup or platter used by Christ at the Last Supper, and in which Joseph of Arimathea received Christ's blood at the Cross, esp. as the object of quests by medieval knights. 2 any object of a quest. Etymology: ME f. OF graal etc. f. med.L gradalis dish, of unkn. orig.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Grail Grail, n. [OF. graal, greal, greet, F. graal, gr?al, LL. gradalis, gradale, prob. derived fr. L. crater bowl, mixing vessel, Gr. krath`r. See Crater.] A broad, open dish; a chalice; -- only used of the Holy Grail. Note: The Holy Grail, according to some legends of the Middle Ages, was the cup used by our Savior in dispensing the wine at the last supper; and according to others, the platter on which the paschal lamb was served at the last Passover observed by our Lord. This cup, according to the legend, if appoached by any but a perfectly pure and holy person, would be borne away and vanish from the sight. The quest of the Holy Grail was to be undertaken only by a knight who was perfectly chaste in thought, word, and act.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Grail Grail, n. [F. gr[^e]le hail, from gr['E]s grit, OHG. griex, grioz, G. gries, gravel, grit. See Grit.] Small particles of earth; gravel. [Obs.] Lying down upon the sandy grail. --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Grail Grail, n. [Cf. OF. graite slender, F. gr[^e]te.] One of the small feathers of a hawk.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Grail Grail, n. [OF. greel, LL. gradale. See Gradual, n.] A book of offices in the Roman Catholic Church; a gradual. [Obs.] --T. Warton. Such as antiphonals, missals, grails, processionals, etc. --Strype.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. The Grail or the Holy Grail is the cup that was used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. In medieval times, many people tried to find the Grail without success. N-PROPER 2. If you describe something as a grail or a holy grail, you mean that someone is trying very hard to obtain or achieve it. The discovery is being hailed as The Holy Grail of astronomy. N-SING: oft the N of n