Word · Frequency #21096
grail
长期追求的目标；梦寐以求的事物
the object of any prolonged endeavor; an eagerly sought goal
- 1.
The Holy Grail.
圣杯。
- 2.
A book of offices in the Roman Catholic Church; a gradual.
罗马天主教会的礼仪书；升阶经。
- 3.
One of the small feathers of a hawk.
鹰的小羽毛之一。
- 4.
Something eagerly sought or quested for.
被热切追求或寻找的事物。
圣杯；圣杯。；罗马天主教会的礼仪书；升阶经。；鹰的小羽毛之一。；被热切追求或寻找的事物。
In use
For many mountaineers, reaching the top of that mountain is the grail of their whole career.
The company's engineers treat a smartphone battery that lasts a week as a grail worth years of work.
In the world of archaeology, a perfectly preserved ancient city is a grail that every team dreams of finding.
the holy grail of [field]
表示“终极目标”时，常不区分大小写，后接 of 引出领域或活动。
The holy grail of linguistics is a complete theory of language.
语言学的圣杯是建立一个完整的语言理论。
a grail for [group]
用 a grail for 表示“某类人极其渴望得到的事物”。
This rare stamp is a grail for collectors.
这枚稀有邮票是收藏家梦寐以求的东西。
Connections
Collocations
- the holy grail of [something]
- ……的终极目标；……梦寐以求的东西
- A universal flu vaccine is the holy grail of public health.通用流感疫苗是公共卫生领域梦寐以求的目标。
- elusive holy grail
- 难以企及的梦想
- Affordable housing remains an elusive holy grail for many young people.对许多年轻人来说，负担得起的住房仍然是难以企及的梦想。
- pursue the holy grail
- 追求梦寐以求的目标
- Many athletes pursue the holy grail of an Olympic medal.许多运动员追求奥运奖牌这一梦寐以求的目标。
- achieve the holy grail
- 实现梦寐以求的目标
- No one has yet achieved the holy grail of fully autonomous vehicles.还没有人实现全自动驾驶汽车这一梦寐以求的目标。
Idioms & figurative uses
- holy grail
- 圣杯；终极目标The unbeaten season is the holy grail of professional basketball.
Learner notes
Memory Tip
想象骑士们终其一生追寻圣杯（Grail），grail便指长期梦寐以求的目标。
Context & Register
语域：mixed 常见场景：新闻评论或深度报道、科技与医疗领域的突破性话题、文学、演讲等书面语场合 grail 作“长期目标”解时常与 holy 连用（the holy grail of...），这种搭配在新闻、网络和日常话题中都不少见；单独使用时则更偏书面和正式。整体语体介于中性到正式之间，所以标为混合。具体口语中更常说 goal 或 dream。
Pronunciation & Spelling
这些词与 grail 押韵，重读音节后的元音和辅音均为 /eɪl/：mail, nail, rail, sail, tail, jail。注意拼写近似的 girl /ɡɜːrl/ 和 grill /ɡrɪl/ 发音不同。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 1，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.