grail
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grail
In Christian mythology and Arthurian legend, a legendary chalice said to possess miraculous powers, especially the ability to grant eternal youth or bliss.
Die Ritter der Tafelrunde widmeten ihr Leben der Suche nach dem Heiligen Gral.
The Knights of the Round Table dedicated their lives to the search for the Holy Grail.
You can recognize the mythological meaning from themes such as knights, legends, or religion. The figurative meaning is often found in contexts such as science, technology, or business, usually in the form 'der (heilige) Gral der/des...' (the [holy] grail of...) followed by a genitive.
In der Artussage begeben sich die Ritter auf die Suche nach dem Gral.
In Arthurian legend, the knights set out in search of the Grail.
In the mythological meaning, the fixed expression 'der Heilige Gral' (the Holy Grail) is almost always used. The adjective 'heilig' (holy) is capitalized here because it is part of the proper name.
Die Legende vom Heiligen Gral fasziniert die Menschen seit Jahrhunderten.
The legend of the Holy Grail has fascinated people for centuries.
In the figurative sense, 'der Gral' (the grail) or 'der heilige Gral' (the holy grail) describes an ultimate, hard-to-achieve goal in a particular field. Using 'heilig' (holy) intensifies the significance of the goal.
Für das Unternehmen ist die Eroberung des asiatischen Marktes der heilige Gral.
For the company, conquering the Asian market is the holy grail.
goal / destination / target
'das Ziel' and 'der Gral' can both mean something that you strongly want to achieve or find. 'das Ziel' is neutral and fits normal plans and wishes. 'der Gral' is used figuratively when something seems especially valuable, rare, or very hard to achieve. People often say 'der heilige Gral' (the holy grail) when something seems almost like the most important goal in a field. For everyday use, 'Ziel' is more normal; 'Gral' sounds more figurative and stronger.
Für viele Forscher ist ein wirksames Mittel gegen diese Krankheit der Gral ihrer Arbeit.
For many researchers, an effective remedy for this disease is the grail of their work.
Das Ziel der Ärztin ist eine schnelle und sichere Behandlung.
The doctor's goal is fast and safe treatment.