Emily Dickinson Lexicon

GRAVE, a.¹ [a final syllable, is a grave, Sax. græf; or it is an officer, Ger. graf.]

GRAVE, a.² [Fr. Sp. and It. grave; Arm. grevus; from L. gravis, heavy, whence L. gravo, and aggravo, to aggravate. Hence grief – which see. Ar. كََرَبَ karaba, to overload, to press, to grieve. Class Rb, No. 30. Properly, pressing, heavy. Hence,]

1. In music, low; depressed; solemn; opposed to sharp, acute, or high; as, a grave tone or sound. Sometimes grave denotes slow.
2. Solemn; sober; serious; opposed to gay, light or jovial; as, a man of a grave deportment; a grave character. Youth on silent wings is flown; / Graver years come rolling on. Prior.
3. Plain; not gay; not showy or tawdry; as, a grave suit of clothes.
4. Being of weight; of a serious character; as, a grave writer.
5. Important; momentous; having a serious and interesting import. Lord Eldon. Kent.

GRAVE, n. [Sax. græf; G. grab; D. and Sw. graf; Dan. grav; Russ. grob, a ditch, a trench, a grave; L. scrobs. See the verb.]

1. The ditch, pit or excavated place in which a dead human body is deposited; a place for the corpse of a human being; a sepulcher.
2. A tomb.
3. Any place where the dead are reposited; a place of great slaughter or mortality. Flanders was formerly the grave of English armies. Russia proved to be the grave of the French army under Bonaparte. The tropical climates are the grave of American seamen and of British soldiers.
4. Graves, in the plural, sediment of tallow melted. [Not in use or local.]

GRAVE, v.i.

To carve; to write or delineate on hard substances; to practice engraving.

GRAVE, v.t. [pret. graved; pp. graven or graved. Fr. graver; Sp. grabar; Sax. grafan; G. graben; D. graaven; Dan. graver; Sw. grafva; Arm. engraffi, engravi; Ir. grafadh, grafaim; W. criviaw, from rhiv; Gr. γραφω, to write; originally all writing was graving; Eng. to scrape; Ch. and Syr. כרב, to plow. See Class Rb, No. 30.]

1. To carve or cut letters or figures on stone or other hard substance, with a chisel or edged tool; to engrave. [The latter word is now more generally used.] Thou shalt take two onyx-stones and grave on them the names of the children of Israel. Ex. xxviii.
2. To carve; to form or shape by cutting with a chisel; as, to grave an image. Thou shalt not make to thee any graven image. Ex. xx.
3. To clean a ship's bottom by burning off filth, grass or other foreign matter, and paying it over with pitch.
4. To entomb. [Unusual.] Shak.

GRAVE'-CLOD, n.

Clod of a grave.

GRAVE-CLOTHES, n.

The clothes or dress in which the dead are interred.

GRAV'ED, pp. [See the verb.]

Carved; engraved; cleaned, as a ship.

GRAVE'-DIG-GER, n.

One whose occupation is to dig graves.

GRAV'EL, n. [Fr. gravelle, gravier; Arm. grevell, or maen-gravell, (stone gravel); Ger. grober sand, coarse sand; D. graveel. Probably from rubbing, grating. See Grave, the verb.]

1. Small stones or fragments of stone, or very small pebbles, larger than the particles of sand, but often intermixed with them.
2. In medicine, small calculous concretions in the kidneys and bladder. Cyc.

GRAV'EL, v.t.

1. To cover with gravel; as, to gravel a walk.
2. To stick in the sand. Camden.
3. To puzzle; to stop; to embarrass. Prior.
4. To hurt the foot of a horse, by gravel lodged under the shoe.

GRAV'EL-ED, pp.

Covered with gravel; stopped; embarrassed; injured by gravel.

GRAVE'LESS, a. [from grave.]

Without a grave or tomb; unburied. Shak.

GRAV'ELING, ppr.

Covering with gravel; hurting the feet; as of a horse.

GRAV'EL-LY, a. [from gravel.]

Abounding with gravel; consisting of gravel; as, a gravelly soil or land.

GRAVE'-LOOK-ING, a.

Appearing grave.

GRAV'EL-WALK, n.

A walk or alley covered with gravel, which makes a hard and dry bottom; used in gardens and malls.

GRAVE'LY, adv. [from grave.]

1. In a grave, solemn manner; soberly; seriously. The queen of learning gravely smiles. Swift.
2. Without gaudiness or show; as, to be dressed gravely.

GRAVE'-MAK'ER, n.

A grave-digger. Shak.

GRA-VE-MENT-E,

in music, see Grave.

GRAVE'NESS, n.

Seriousness; solemnity; sobriety of behavior; gravity of manners or discourse. Denham.

GRA'VE-O-LENCE, n. [L. gravis and oleo.]

A strong and offensive smell.

GRA'VE-O-LENT, a.

Having a strong odor.

GRAV'ER, a.

More grave.

GRAV'ER, n. [See Grave.]

1. One who carves or engraves; one whose profession is to cut letters or figures in stone, &c.; a sculptor.
2. An engraving tool; an instrument for graving on hard substances.