Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Gravity

Origin: L. Gravitas, fr. Gravis heavy; cf. F. Gravite. See grave, grief.

1. The state of having weight; beaviness; as, the gravity of lead.

2. Sobriety of character or demeanor. Men of gravity and learning.< p. 648 needs proofing ##proof - especially italicized words (aso in etymologies) are not properly marked

3. Importance, significance, dignity, etc; hence, seriousness; enormity; as, the gravity of an offense. They derive an importance from . . . The gravity of the place where they were uttered. (Burke)

4. (Science: physics) The tendency of a mass of matter toward a center of attraction; especially, the tendency of a body toward the center of the earth; terrestrial gravitation.

5. Lowness of tone; opposed to acuteness. Center of gravity see Center. Gravity battery, see battery. Specific gravity, the ratio of the weight of a body to the weight of an equal volume of some other body taken as the standard or unit. This standard is usually water for solids and liquids, and air for gases. Thus, 19, the specific gravity of gold, expresses the fact that, bulk for bulk, gold is nineteen times as heavy as water.