grave
1
9.5
- noun
- /ɡreɪv/
- Specialized
- When I typed the word "café," I almost forgot to include the accent grave over the 'e.'
Examples
-
Moisture is necessary for the "grave wax" to form.
Academic text (2006) -
Chuck has almost finished a grave in the sand behind the palm trees.
Fiction book (2000) -
The neat green rectangle their graves make leaves no room for other graves, not even for those of their daughters.
Fiction book (1992) -
Beneath a towering lilac bursting with purple blooms, the farmer was finishing a grave.
Fiction book (1998) -
In French, the accent grave indicates that the vowel is pronounced differently.
-
Make sure to use the accent grave in words like "à" to convey the correct meaning.
Synonyms
2
4.8
A mark above a vowel showing how to pronounce it
1
3.4
A mark placed above or below a letter to show which syllable is strong and how to say it
1
8.1
A small mark placed above a vowel to show how to say it
Idioms
- Informal
To think a dead person is very upset because something goes against what they cared about
Compounds
Surface Forms
Etymology
The grave accent takes its name from the Latin root gravis, meaning 'heavy', because the mark showed a lower or stronger vowel sound. So a grave accent helps show how to pronounce a vowel in languages like French.