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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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.
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