Grāvi-ty, n.

n. [Lat. gravitas, from gravis, heavy; Fr. gravité, It. gravità, Sp. gravedad.]

1. The state of being grave or weighty; heaviness; as, the gravity of lead. [Obs.]
2. Sobriety of character or demeanor. “Men of gravity and learning.” Shak.
3. Relative importance, significance, dignity, &c.; weight; enormity. “According to the gravity of the fact.” Hooker.

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; especially, the tendency of a body toward the center of the earth; terrestrial gravitation.
5. (Mus.) Lowness of note;—opposed to acuteness.

Center of gravity. See CENTER.—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 19 times heavier than water.