 1 definition found
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Gravity \Grav"i*ty\, noun; pl. {Gravities}. [L. gravitas, fr.
gravis heavy; cf. F. gravit['e]. See {Grave}, adjective, {Grief}.]
1. The state of having weight; beaviness; as, the gravity of
lead.
2. Sobriety of character or demeanor. ''Men of gravity and
learning.'' --Shak.
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. (Physics) The tendency of a mass of matter toward a center
of attraction; esp., the tendency of a body toward the
center of the earth; terrestrial gravitation.
5. (Mus.) Lowness of tone; -- opposed to {acuteness}.
{Center of gravity} See under {Center}.
{Gravity battery}, See {Battery}, noun, 4.
{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.
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