Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Large and impressive in size or extent.
  • adjective Sweeping in ambition or conception.
  • adjective Very pleasing; wonderful; splendid.
  • adjective Characterized by splendor or magnificence.
  • adjective Having more importance than others; principal.
  • adjective Having higher rank than others of the same category.
  • adjective Dignified or noble, as in appearance or effect.
  • adjective Having a serious moral purpose; noble.
  • adjective Of a haughty or pretentious nature.
  • adjective Including or covering all units or aspects.
  • noun A grand piano.
  • noun Slang A thousand dollars.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Great; large; especially, of imposing magnitude; majestic or sublime from size and proportion: as, a grand mountain-chasm; a grand building.
  • Of very high or noble quality; lofty in character or position; of exalted power, dignity, beauty, etc.; great; noble.
  • Principal; chief; most important: as, the grand master of an order; a grand jury; the grand concern of one's life.
  • Prime; primal; first; original.
  • In geneal., as a prefix, one degree more remote in ascent or descent: as, in grandfather, grandson (father's father, son's son), grandaunt (which see), grandnephew, grandniece (son or daughter of nephew or niece), etc.
  • Complete; comprehensive; including all particulars : as, a grand total.
  • In music, applied to compositions which contain all the regular parts or movements in a complete form: as, a grand sonata (a sonata containing all the proper parts in their full extent).
  • A title used for the rulers of several of the principalities of Russia in the middle ages (more properly, great princes), and since for the sons of the czars of Russia, descended from the grand dukes (great princes) of Moscow.
  • noun A grand piano.
  • To make great.
  • noun Any announcement to play without a trump suit, in such games as skat, cayenne, etc.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of large size or extent; great; extensive; hence, relatively great; greatest; chief; principal
  • adjective Great in size, and fine or imposing in appearance or impression; illustrious, dignifled, or noble (said of persons); majestic, splendid, magnificent, or sublime (said of things)
  • adjective Having higher rank or more dignity, size, or importance than other persons or things of the same name
  • adjective Standing in the second or some more remote degree of parentage or descent; -- generalIy used in composition
  • adjective a pianoforte action, used in grand pianos, in which special devices are employed to obtain perfect action of the hammer in striking and leaving the string.
  • adjective an organized voluntary association of men who served in the Union army or navy during the civil war in the United States. The order has chapters, called Posts, throughout the country.
  • adjective A knight grand cross.
  • adjective the cordon or broad ribbon, identified with the highest grade in certain honorary orders; hence, a person who holds that grade.
  • adjective (Eng. Law) certain days in the terms which are observed as holidays in the inns of court and chancery (Candlemas, Ascension, St. John Baptist's, and All Saints' Days); called also Dies non juridici.
  • adjective In Russia, a daughter of the Czar.
  • adjective (Zoöl.) The European great horned owl or eagle owl (Bubo maximas).
  • adjective a piece of plate armor used in tournaments as an extra protection for the left shoulder and breast.
  • adjective a member of a grand jury.
  • adjective (Law) a jury of not less than twelve men, and not more than twenty-three, whose duty it is, in private session, to examine into accusations against persons charged with crime, and if they see just cause, then to find bills of indictment against them, to be presented to the court; -- called also grand inquest.
  • adjective a grand juror.
  • adjective (Law) See under Larceny.
  • adjective the chief lodge, or governing body, among Freemasons and other secret orders.
  • adjective The head of the order of Freemasons or of Good Templars, etc.
  • adjective [Obs.] a glutton or gourmand.
  • adjective See under Pensionary.
  • adjective (Mus.) a large piano, usually harp-shaped, in which the wires or strings are generally triplicated, increasing the power, and all the mechanism is introduced in the most effective manner, regardless of the size of the instrument.
  • adjective (Sculp.), alto relievo.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin grandis.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Anglo-Norman graunt, from Old French grant, from Latin grandis.

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Examples

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  • IrE; conveys AmE good/fine

    April 23, 2011