grail

noun \ ˈgrāl \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of grail

1 capitalized : the cup or platter used according to medieval legend by Christ at the Last Supper and thereafter the object of knightly quests

2 : the object of an extended or difficult quest

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Recent Examples of grail from the Web

Loading View on Instagram Supreme’s celebrity portrait tees are holy-grail collector's items for streetwear fans, and every new release sparks a frenzy.

— liz raiss, GQ, "Jim Jones Is Still Salty About That Supreme Tee," 11 Apr. 2018
The grail Wade seeks is the ultimate Easter egg, hidden in the deepest recesses of the game by its creator, James Halliday (Mark Rylance).

— joe morgenstern, WSJ, "‘Ready Player One’ Review: Motion Trounces Emotion," 29 Mar. 2018
Here's our logic: If standard Sundays are the prime brunching day of the week, then Easter Sunday is like the holy brunching grail.

— refinery29.com, "11 Brunch Ideas To Get Things Hoppin' This Easter," 26 Mar. 2018
Your tribal bracelet from Hermès that looks like a war-launching grail from Indiana Jones.

— GQ, "No Stone Unturned: A Man’s Guide to Jewelry," 6 Mar. 2018
But stocking up on these holy-grail finds can get expensive—a jar of Creme de la Mer costs over $300!

— talia abbas, SELF, "13 Drugstore Products That Are as Good as Luxury, According to Beauty Editors," 7 Mar. 2018
Rene Pape was vocally charismatic but interpretively dependable as the grail knight Gurnemanz.

— david patrick stearns, Philly.com, "Yannick's 'Parsifal' at the Met gets a big bravo from picky New Yorkers," 6 Feb. 2018
The baritone Peter Mattei was extraordinary as Amfortas, the suffering king of the grail knights, when this production was new, and was perhaps even more so on Monday.

— anthony tommasini, New York Times, "Review: A Conductor Delivers a Magnificent ‘Parsifal’ at the Met," 6 Feb. 2018
Chocano, meanwhile, worries that her daughter is absorbing stories in which girls play the grail and not the hero.

— haley mlotek, New York Times, "Fiery Collections of Essays From Young Feminist Writers," 15 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of grail

Middle English greal, graal, from Middle French, bowl, grail, from Medieval Latin gradalis

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First Known Use: 14th century

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