GRAVE

(Naut.) To clean, as a vessel's bottom, of barnacles, grass, etc., and pay it over with pitch; -- so called because graves or greaves was formerly used for this purpose.

Of great weight; heavy; ponderous. [Obs.] His shield grave and great. Chapman.

Of importance; momentous; weighty; influential; sedate; serious; - - said of character, relations, etc.; as, grave deportment, character, influence, etc. Most potent, grave, and reverend seigniors. Shak. A grave and prudent law, full of moral equity. Milton.

Not light or gay; solemn; sober; plain; as, a grave color; a grave face.

Slow and solemn in movement. Grave accent. (Pron.) See the Note under Accent, n., 2.

To dig. [Obs.] Chaucer. He hath graven and digged up a pit. Ps. vii. 16 (Book of Common Prayer).

To carve or cut, as letters or figures, on some hard substance; to engrave. Thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel. Ex. xxviii. 9.

To carve out or give shape to, by cutting with a chisel; to sculpture; as, to grave an image. With gold men may the hearte grave. Chaucer.

To impress deeply (on the mind); to fix indelibly. O! may they graven in thy heart remain. Prior.

To entomb; to bury. [Obs.] Chaucer. Lie full low, graved in the hollow ground. Shak.

To write or delineate on hard substances, by means of incised lines; to practice engraving.

An excavation in the earth as a place of burial; also, any place of interment; a tomb; a sepulcher. Hence: Death; destruction. He bad lain in the grave four days. John xi. 17. Grave wax, adipocere.