Etymologically
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grave

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 08:05. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɡʁav/[1]

Forms

grave (plural graves)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin gravis (“heavy; low (of a sound); weighty, serious; dignified”).[2][3][4][5][6] It ousted the inherited adjective grief, “griève”, its doublet, which lasted until the 17th century and survives in grièvement.[2][4][1] Latin “gravis” belongs to an Indo-European family meaning “heavy”, with Ancient Greek βαρύς (barús) (whence baryton).[3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, early in the 14th century in Aimé du Mont-Cassin's Ystoire de li Normant, has the sense “important, of consequence”.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

In the 15th century it was applied to sounds, and in grammar (1533) to the accent grave.[2][3] From 1542 it describes a person who behaves with dignity and reserve, and then serious looks, thought and style.[2][3] The sense “likely to have bad consequences” dates from 1580, faute grave and péché grave from 1690, and of an illness or wound from 1764.[3][8] The physical sense “heavy” was revived in 17th-century physics, les corps graves.[2][5] In recent familiar speech grave is an adverb, “a lot, really” (il a flippé grave), and also an adjective “stupid”, probably from gravement atteint.[3][1]

Timeline

  • Early 14th century – “Important”.[2]
  • 1396 – Gravement.[3]
  • 15th century – Of a sound, “low”.[2]
  • 1533 – Accent grave.[2]
  • 1542 – Of a person, “serious, dignified”.[2]
  • 1580 – “Having serious consequences”.[3]
  • 1690 – Faute grave, les corps graves in physics.[3][2]
  • 1764 – Of an illness.[8]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. serious, grave; important: un grave problème, une faute grave.[9][1]
  2. Dangerous, critical: une maladie grave, un accident grave, ce n'est pas grave.[9][10]
  3. solemn, dignified: un air grave, parler d'un ton grave.[9][1]
  4. Of a sound or voice, deep, low-pitched: une voix grave.[1][10]
  5. (grammar) Accent grave: the grave accent (è).[2][1]
  6. (physics, dated) Heavy: les corps graves.[2][5]
  7. (slang) Stupid, crazy.[3]

Adverb

  1. (slang) A lot, really: il a flippé grave.[3][1]

Word family

  • gravement
  • gravissime
  • gravitation
  • gravité
  • graviter
  • aggraver
  • grief
  • grièvement
  • Latin gravis

Usage notes

A separate noun grave (1380 “gravel”, 1530 “shore”) is a variant of grève; it survives in road building for a mixture of gravel and sand, and in the plural graves for the gravelly soils of the Bordeaux region.[5][10][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 265a
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)