Holy Grail

Or ho·ly grail

[hoh-lee greyl]

noun

1. Arthurian Legend, Teutonic Legend.,  Also the Grail a cup or chalice that in medieval legend was associated with unusual powers, especially the regeneration of life and, later, Christian purity, and was much sought after by medieval knights: identified with the cup used at the Last Supper.

   Wagner adapted the story of his opera Parsifal from the medieval legends of the search for the Holy Grail.

2. Usually holy grail grail.

   Brisket is the holy grail of barbecue because it's considered so difficult to cook well.

Holy Grail

noun

1. 1. Also called: Grail.  Sangraal. (in medieval legend) the bowl used by Jesus at the Last Supper. It was allegedly brought to Britain by Joseph of Arimathea, where it became the quest of many knights

   2. (in modern spirituality) a symbol of the spiritual wholeness that leads a person to union with the divine

2. informal,  any desired ambition or goal

   the Holy Grail of infrared astronomy

Grail, Holy

1. A cup or bowl that was the subject of many legends in the Middle Ages. It was often said to have been used by Jesus at The Last Supper. The Grail was supposedly transported to Britain, where it became an object of quest for the knights of the Round Table.

By extension, a “holy grail” is any esteemed object long sought for or attained only after great endeavor.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Grail, Holy¹

First recorded in 1580–90

Word History and Origins

Origin of Grail, Holy¹

C14 grail from Old French graal, from Medieval Latin gradālis bowl, of unknown origin

Example Sentences

But the Moon is the Holy Grail, as it opens up all sorts of possibilities.

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It was about that time, when the cult comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail was released in 1975, that Idle coined the phrase "mock and roll" for their particular brand of comedy.

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"This is the Holy Grail of solar physics," says Prof Christopher Owen, who specialises in solar wind studies using data from the spacecraft.

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“It must be your Holy Grail, and I definitely followed that for a while.”

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The cyber-barons, CEOs and Wall Street big-money boys understood that the only thing he was bringing to the table was more deregulation and bigger tax cuts, the Holy Grail of the billionaire class.

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