Gracefulness, or being graceful, is the physical characteristic of displaying "pretty agility", in the form of

elegant Elegance is beauty that shows unusual effectiveness and simplicity. Elegance is frequently used as a standard of tastefulness, particularly in visual design, decorative arts, literature, science, and the aesthetics of mathematics. Elegant t ...

movement, poise, or

balance Balance may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance, as in equality (mathematics) or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * Balance (1983 film), ''Balance'' ( ...

. The etymological root of ''grace'' is the Latin word ''gratia'' from ''gratus'', meaning pleasing. Gracefulness has been described by reference to its being aesthetically pleasing. For example: The difficulty in defining exactly what constitutes gracefulness is described in this analysis of

Henri Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson (; ; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopher who was influential in the traditions of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy, especially during the first half of the 20th century until the S ...

's use of the term: Gracefulness is often referenced by

simile A simile () is a type of figure of speech that directly ''compares'' two things. Similes are often contrasted with metaphors, where similes necessarily compare two things using words such as "like", "as", while metaphors often create an implicit c ...

, for example with people being described as "graceful as a

swan Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe (biology) ...

", or "as graceful as a

ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancer ...

". The concept of gracefulness is applied both to movement, and to inanimate objects. For example, certain trees are commonly referred to as being "graceful", such as the '' Betula albosinensis'', ''

Prunus × yedoensis ''Prunus'' × ''yedoensis'' (synonym ''Cerasus'' × ''yedoensis'') is a Hybrid (biology), hybrid cherry tree between ''Prunus speciosa'' (''Oshima cherry'') as father plant and Prunus itosakura, ''Prunus pendula'' f. ''ascendens'' (syn. ''Pr ...

'' (Yoshino cherry), and ''

Areca catechu ''Areca catechu'' is a species of palm native to the Philippines cultivated for areca nuts. It was carried widely through the tropics by the Austronesian migrations and trade since at least 1500 BCE due to its use in betel nut chewing. ...

'' (betel-nut palm). Gracefulness is sometimes also attributed to non-corporeal human actions, such as the use of language ("a graceful turn of phrase") or the control of emotion ("accepting defeat gracefully"). Gracefulness is sometimes confused with

gracility Gracility is slenderness, the condition of being gracile, which means slender. It derives from the Latin adjective ''gracilis'' (Masculine (grammar), masculine or Feminine (grammar), feminine), or ''gracile'' (Grammatical gender, neuter), which ...

, or

slenderness In architecture, the slenderness ratio, or simply slenderness, is an aspect ratio, the quotient between the height and the width of a building. In structural engineering, slenderness is used to calculate the propensity of a column to buckle. It ...

, although the latter word is derived from a different root, the Latin adjective (

masculine Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some beh ...

feminine Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and Gender roles, roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there is also s ...

), or (

neuter Neuter is a Latin adjective meaning "neither", and can refer to: *Neuter gender, a grammatical gender, a linguistic class of nouns triggering specific types of inflections in associated words * Neuter pronoun *Neutering, the sterilization of an an ...

) which in either form means slender, and when transferred for example to discourse, takes the sense of "without ornament", "simple", or various similar

connotation A connotation is a commonly understood cultural or emotional association that any given word or phrase carries, in addition to its explicit or literal meaning, which is its denotation. A connotation is frequently described as either positive or ...

s. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary remarks of gracility, for example: "Recently misused (through association with grace) for Gracefully slender." The terms ''gracile'' and ''grace'' are completely unrelated: the etymological root of ''grace'' is the Latin word from , meaning pleasing and has nothing to do with slenderness or thinness.

References

See also