grave

/ˈgrāv/

Middle English, from Old English græf; akin to Old High German grab grave, Old English grafan to dig

noun

  1. an excavation for burial of a body; broadly : a burial place

  2. death

  3. death

adjective

  1. meriting serious consideration : important

  2. likely to produce great harm or danger

  3. significantly serious : considerable, great

grave problems

a grave mistake

serious grave solemn sedate staid sober earnest mean not light or frivolous. serious implies a concern for what really matters. grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude.

noun

  1. a grave accent ` used to show that a vowel is pronounced with a fall of pitch (as in ancient Greek), that a vowel has a certain quality (such as è in French), that a final e is stressed and close and that a final o is stressed and low (as in Italian), that a syllable has a degree of stress between maximum and minimum (as in phonetic transcription), or that the e of the English ending -ed is to be pronounced (as in "this cursèd day")