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.
grail
In a figurative sense, a particularly desirable goal or object that often seems difficult or impossible to achieve.
Für viele Physiker ist die Vereinheitlichung aller Grundkräfte der heilige Gral ihrer Forschung.
For many physicists, the unification of all fundamental forces is the holy grail of their research.
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.
