Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

coup de grâce

/kuː də ɡɹɑs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.00 in modern English

Syllables: coup de -grace
IPA: /kuː də ɡɹɑs/

18

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal.

noun

A remarkable finishing action.

Example Sentences

"After we had row'd, or rather driven about a League and a Half, as we reckon'd it, a raging Wave, Mountain-like, came rolling a-ſtern of us, and plainly bad us expect the Coup-de-Grace."
"The expression of his face was an appeal; his eyes were full of prayer. […] For what, indeed? For that which we accord to even the meanest creature without sense to demand it, denying it only to the wretched of our own race: for the blessed release, the rite of uttermost compassion, the coup de grâce."
"[…] they just went "Right, activate radar, hello everybody, we can see you, you can't see us", and plastered everything in 14-and-16-inch gunfire until everything was broken, burning, and not able to fire back, and then they popped out for the coup de grâce."

Etymology

First use appears c. 1699. Borrowed from French coup de grâce (“finishing blow”). Originally referring to a merciful stroke putting a fatally wounded person out of misery or to the shot delivered to the head of a prisoner after facing a firing squad.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: coup de grâce

Inflected Forms

coups de grâce (plural) coup de grace (alternative) coup-de-grace (alternative)

Phrases

put someone out of their misery

Frequently Paired Words

put someone out of their misery mercy killing

Questions

How do you pronounce coup de grâce?: The recorded pronunciation is /kuː də ɡɹɑs/.
What does coup de grâce mean?: A final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal.
Where does coup de grâce come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce coup de grâce

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