Gracile
Encyclopedia
The English word "gracile" means slender. It derives from the Latin adjective gracilis (masculine or feminine), or gracile (neuter
Grammatical gender
Grammatical gender is defined linguistically as a system of classes of nouns which trigger specific types of inflections in associated words, such as adjectives, verbs and others. For a system of noun classes to be a gender system, every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be...

) which in either form means slender, and when transferred for example to discourse, takes the sense of "without ornament", "simple", or various similar connotation
Connotation
A connotation is a commonly understood subjective cultural or emotional association that some word or phrase carries, in addition to the word's or phrase's explicit or literal meaning, which is its denotation....

s.

In his famous "Glossary of Botanic Terms" B. D. Jackson speaks dismissively of an entry in earlier dictionary of A. A. Crozier as follows: Gracilis (Lat.), slender. Crozier has the needless word "gracile". However, his objection would be hard to sustain in current usage; apart from the fact that "gracile" is a natural and convenient term, it is hardly a neologism; the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary gives the source date for that usage as 1623.

In the same entry for Gracile the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary remarks: Recently misused (through association with grace) for Gracefully slender. This misuse is unfortunate at least, because the terms gracile and grace are completely unrelated: the etymological root of grace is the Latin word gratia from gratus, meaning pleasing and nothing to do with slenderness or thinness.

In biology the term is in common use, whether as English or Latin:
  • The term gracile -- and its opposite, robust
    Robustness (morphology)
    In biology, robustness is used to describe a species with a morphology based on strength and a heavy build. The alternative morphology is the 'gracile' body type. For example, comparing similar species, rats have robust body types while mice are gracile. Male and females of the same species may...

    , occur in discussion of the morphology
    Morphology (biology)
    In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....

     of various hominids for example.
  • The Gracile fasciculus is a particular bundle of axon fibres in the spinal cord
  • The Gracile nucleus
    Gracile nucleus
    Located in the medulla oblongata, the gracile nucleus is one of the dorsal column nuclei that participate in the sensation of fine touch and proprioception of the lower body...

     is a particular structure of neuron
    Neuron
    A neuron is an electrically excitable cell that processes and transmits information by electrical and chemical signaling. Chemical signaling occurs via synapses, specialized connections with other cells. Neurons connect to each other to form networks. Neurons are the core components of the nervous...

    s in the medulla oblongata
    Medulla oblongata
    The medulla oblongata is the lower half of the brainstem. In discussions of neurology and similar contexts where no ambiguity will result, it is often referred to as simply the medulla...

  • "GRACILE syndrome
    GRACILE syndrome
    GRACILE syndrome is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder, one of the Finnish heritage diseases. It is caused by mutation in BCS1L gene.GRACILE is an acronym for growth retardation, amino aciduria, cholestasis, iron overload, lactic acidosis, and early death...

    ", is associated with a BCS1L
    BCS1L
    -Further reading:...

     mutation
    Mutation
    In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...



Gracile is the specific name or specific epithet for various species, including:
  • Ctenochasma
    Ctenochasma
    Ctenochasma is a genus of Late Jurassic pterosaur belonging to the suborder pterodactyloidea. Three species are currently recognized: C. roemeri , C. taqueti, and C. elegans...

     gracile, a late Jurassic
    Jurassic
    The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to  Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...

     pterosaur
    Pterosaur
    Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...

  • Eriophorum gracile
    Eriophorum gracile
    Eriophorum gracile is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. It is known by the common name slender cottonsedge, or slender cottongrass. Eriophorum gracile is a plant with circumboreal distribution, extending south into mountain ranges of the Northern Hemisphere...

    , a species of sedge
    Sedge
    - Plants :* Acorus calamus, sweet flag, a plant in the Acoraceae family* Any of the plants in the family Cyperaceae- Animals :* A collective noun for several species of birds, including bitterns, cranes and herons* Sedge-fly, caddisfly- Other uses :...

    , Cyperaceae
    Cyperaceae
    Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...

  • Melampodium
    Melampodium
    Melampodium a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae.The 39 species it contains are commonly known as blackfoots. They are rugged plants native to the tropical to subtropical regions that include Central America, Southwestern United States, California, Florida, the Caribbean,...

     gracile, a flowering plant species
  • Moeritherium
    Moeritherium
    Moeritherium is a genus consisting of several species. These prehistoric mammals are related to the elephant and, more distantly, the sea cow...

     gracile, an Eocene
    Eocene
    The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...

     mammal
    Mammal
    Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

     species


See also

  • Grace (disambiguation)
  • Gracilis (disambiguation), a Latin adjective in several species names. As remarked above, the meanings are the same as for gracile, except for their grammatical gender
    Grammatical gender
    Grammatical gender is defined linguistically as a system of classes of nouns which trigger specific types of inflections in associated words, such as adjectives, verbs and others. For a system of noun classes to be a gender system, every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be...



50, 000 years ago, the more slender 'Gracile' people; the ancestors of Australian Aborigines, arrived in Australia. At the time of their settlement/invasion, the Gracile were the most technologically advanced people in the world.
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