NYT Dictionary

GRAVY

/ˈɡɹæɪvi/
NounVerbGRA-vygra-vy · 2 syllablesGrade 6

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2019, 2020, 2022

Meaning

A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that come out from meat or vegetables as they are being cooked.

Etymology

Origin: Middle English

From Middle English gravey, greavie, gravy; probably from greaves, graves (“the sediment of melted tallow”), or from Old French grave, a claimed misspelling of grané (“stew, spice”), from grain (“spice”). Sense of "pasta sauce" apparently seems to be from Italian dialect, especially Calabrian, differentiating tomato puree (salsa (“sauce”)) from cooked tomato sauce (sugo).

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

boombonanzagodsendwindfallbuncebonusbountybribeconsiderationdiscovery

NYT Puzzle Appearances

No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2019, 2020, 2022.

Join the Spelling Bee Community

Get solving strategies, rare word lists, and puzzle tips in your inbox every week.