grail

American  

[greyl] / greɪl /

noun

1. Sometimes Grail any greatly desired and sought-after objective; ultimate ideal or reward.

   The film's protagonist is defined by the struggle for his grail, a championship title he failed to win earlier in life.

2. Often the Grail Holy Grail.

   Weeks pass, and none of the knights return, so King Arthur himself must quest for the Grail.

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Grail British  

/ ɡreɪl /

noun

1. See Holy Grail

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Etymology

Origin of grail

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English graiel, graile, from Anglo-French grahel, grayel, Old French gräel, grel, from Medieval Latin gradālis “platter,” of uncertain origin; perhaps distantly connected to Latin crātēr “mixing bowl” ( crater ( def. ) ) or crātis “wickerwork” ( grate ¹ ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

How did an obscure startup in Finland beat Toyota, Stellantis and the entire nation of China to the holy grail of energy storage?

From The Wall Street Journal

The value of the Japanese playing cards was illustrated recently when one described as the "holy grail" sold for £30,000.

From BBC

New Street Research’s Pierre Ferragu, who has long been a fan of Musk and Tesla, called the Terafab “a holy grail” that combines various semiconductor-manufacturing advancements made over the last 12 years.

From MarketWatch

But the holy grail is squeezing a game, which can take up to five hours outdoors, into an hour's play for the recreational golfer.

From BBC

A self-described "techie guy," Davies said the platform's current obsession is on giving creators nuanced control over creating or editing footage -- something he described as the company's "holy grail."

From Barron's