gravamen
Americannoun
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the part of an accusation that weighs most heavily against the accused; the substantial part of a charge or complaint.
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a grievance.
noun
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law that part of an accusation weighing most heavily against an accused
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law the substance or material grounds of a complaint
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a rare word for grievance
Etymology
Origin of gravamen
1595–1605; < Late Latin: trouble, physical inconvenience, equivalent to Latin gravā ( re ) to load, weigh down (derivative of gravis heavy, burdened) + -men noun suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If they cannot, they will be expected to submit a gravamen to the Professional Status Committee and the Board of Trustees before they are hired.
From Washington Post • Nov. 3, 2022
"The gravamen of the claimed wrongdoing is that the Laundries exercised their constitutional rights and essentially made no statements to Plaintiffs or law enforcement," the motion states.
From Fox News • Mar. 30, 2022
What mattered, Chief Justice Roberts wrote, was the core, or gravamen, of the lawsuit.
From New York Times • Dec. 1, 2015
But the gravamen of the economic charge against her is the neglect of manufacturing industry.
From The Guardian • Apr. 20, 2013
It would appear that the gravamen of the Quaker attack on the little sect was the failure of its members to dispense with sacraments.
From Spiritual Reformers in the 16th & 17th Centuries by Jones, Rufus Matthew
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
