Grav"i*ty (?), n.; pl.
Gravities (#). [L. gravitas, fr.
gravis heavy; cf. F. gravité. See Grave,
a., 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.
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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. (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, n., 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.