Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Grand \Grand\ (gr[a^]nd), a. [Compar. Grander (gr[a^]nd"[~e]r); superl. Grandest.] [OE. grant, grount, OF. grant, F. grand, fr. L. grandis; perh. akin to gravis heavy, E. grave, a. Cf. Grandee.]
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Of large size or extent; great; extensive; hence, relatively great; greatest; chief; principal; as, a grand mountain; a grand army; a grand mistake. ``Our grand foe, Satan.''
--Milton.Making so bold . . . to unseal Their grand commission.
--Shak. -
Great in size, and fine or imposing in appearance or impression; illustrious, dignifled, or noble (said of persons); majestic, splendid, magnificent, or sublime (said of things); as, a grand monarch; a grand lord; a grand general; a grand view; a grand conception.
They are the highest models of expression, the unapproached masters of the grand style.
--M. Arnold. Having higher rank or more dignity, size, or importance than other persons or things of the same name; as, a grand lodge; a grand vizier; a grand piano, etc.
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Standing in the second or some more remote degree of parentage or descent; -- generalIy used in composition; as, grandfather, grandson, grandchild, etc.
What cause Mov'd our grand parents, in that happy state, Favor'd of Heaven so highly, to fall off From their Creator.
--Milton.Grand action, a pianoforte action, used in grand pianos, in which special devices are employed to obtain perfect action of the hammer in striking and leaving the string.
Grand Army of the Republic, an organized voluntary association of men who served in the Union army or navy during the civil war in the United States. The order has chapters, called Posts, throughout the country.
Grand paunch, a glutton or gourmand. [Obs.]
--Holland.Grand pensionary. See under Pensionary.
Grand piano (Mus.), a large piano, usually harp-shaped, in which the wires or strings are generally triplicated, increasing the power, and all the mechanism is introduced in the most effective manner, regardless of the size of the instrument.
Grand relief (Sculp.), alto relievo.
Grand Seignior. See under Seignior.
Grand stand, the principal stand, or erection for spectators, at a, race course, etc.
Grand vicar (Eccl.), a principal vicar; an ecclesiastical delegate in France.
Grand vizier. See under Vizier.
Syn: Magnificent; sublime; majestic; dignified; elevated; stately; august; pompous; lofty; eralted; noble.
Usage: Grand, Magnificent, Sublime. Grand, in reference to objects of taste, is applied to that which expands the mind by a sense of vastness and majesty; magnificent is applied to anything which is imposing from its splendor; sublime describes that which is awful and elevating. A cataract is grand; a rich and varied landscape is magnificent; an overhanging precipice is sublime. ``Grandeur admits of degrees and modifications; but magnificence is that which has already reached the highest degree of superiority naturally belonging to the object in question.''
--Crabb.
Piano \Pi*an"o\, Pianoforte \Pi*an"o*for`te\, n. [It. piano soft (fr. L. planus even, smooth; see Plain, a.) + It. forte strong, fr. L. fortis (see Fort).] (Mus.) A well-known musical instrument somewhat resembling the harpsichord, and consisting of a series of wires of graduated length, thickness, and tension, struck by hammers moved by keys.
Dumb piano. See Digitorium.
Grand piano. See under Grand.
Square piano, one with a horizontal frame and an oblong case.
Upright piano, one with an upright frame and vertical wires.
Wiktionary
n. (context musical instruments English) A large piano in which the strings are strung horizontally in a heavy frame shaped like a harp
WordNet
n. a piano with the strings on a harp-shaped frame; usually supported by 3 legs [syn: grand]
Wikipedia
Grand Piano is a 1985 studio album by the pianist George Shearing.
This was Shearing's first album of solo piano for Concord Records, it was followed by More Grand Piano (1986).
Grand Piano is a 2013 English-language Spanish thriller film directed by Eugenio Mira and starring Elijah Wood and John Cusack. The film is about a once promising pianist returning for a comeback performance, only to be the target of a sniper who will kill him if he plays one wrong note. The film premiered at Fantastic Fest on 20 September 2013 and was given a VOD release on 30 January 2014. It was given a limited release in U.S. theatres on 7 March.
Grand Piano is a 1997 compilation release by Narada. It peaked at #10 on Billboard's Top New Age album charts in the same year.
From album liner:
"In Narada's 15-year history, no single instrument has more clearly expressd our musical vision than the piano. Its vast scope and orchestral capabilities have allowed it to encompass a sweeping vista of music endowed with the beauty and spirit that characterizes our wide ranging repertoire. Over the years — from David Lanz and Michael Jones to Bradley Joseph — Narada's music has found its most eloquent expression in the hands of highly gifted pianists.
Usage examples of "grand piano".
Much later, after the police had left, another attack had been made upon the house, this time with bullets that had gone through the broken windows and embedded themselves in a baby grand piano.
And it should be a grand piano, a great big shiny grand piano, one of them Steinbergs, god-damn it, with every seat taken in the concert hall.
The very setting of the scene was platitudinously appropriate, she reflected, as she looked about the little room, bare but for the grand piano, and noted that the fire at her husband's feet had smoldered out into white ashes.
So she smiled at Ruby and moved to the grand piano in her awful brown dress, there to entrance the company with merry Mozart and tzigane Liszt.
When she removed the cordovan leather from the grand piano, and ventured to play a few notes on it, it sounded with a mournful sadness, startling the dismal echoes of the house.
I don't mean to say that I was bored-Just the interior of the spaceship with its books and old holos and grand piano was interesting enough to keep me from being bored for the next ten days, not to mention getting to know my traveling companions-but already we had experienced these long, slow, pleasantly idle periods punctuated by interludes of wild adrenaline rush.
Although Jasmine Cottage was, if anything, colder in than out, the party gave an initial illusion of success because the twenty-five odd guests crammed into a small room, dominated by a large black grand piano, had to yell to be heard, particularly as Rachel had turned up Rannaldini's CD of Shostakovich's Fifth fortissimo.
What else did I need but a grand apartment, a grand piano, and all the grand money I wanted to spend?
He saw an overturned grand piano lying in the street like a large dead wooden horse.
March wanted to talk of her father with the old man who had not forgotten him, Meg longed to walk in the conservatory, Beth sighed for the grand piano, and Amy was eager to see the fine pictures and statues.