Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A deathblow delivered to end the misery of a mortally wounded victim.
- noun A finishing stroke or decisive event.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A final
blow orshot given tokill a wounded person or animal.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[French : coup, stroke + de, of + grâce, mercy.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Late 17th century, from French coup de grâce ("finishing blow"). Originally referring to a merciful stroke putting a fatally wounded person out of misery or to the shot delivered to the head of a prisoner after facing a firing squad.
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Examples
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whichbe commented on the word coup de grâce
1. a finishing stroke or decisive event
2. a deathblow delivered to end the misery of a mortally wounded victim. (from WordCraft)
May 20, 2008
kathryn commented on the word coup de grâce
the coup de grâce that set me off would've made for decent fiction.
January 27, 2009