It derives from the Latin adjective gracilis (masculine or feminine), or gracile (neuter),[1] which in either form means slender, and when transferred for example to discourse takes the sense of "without ornament", "simple" or various similar connotations.
[2] In Glossary of Botanic Terms, B. D. Jackson speaks dismissively[3] of an entry in earlier dictionary of A.
[5] This misuse is unfortunate at least, because the terms gracile and grace are unrelated: the etymological root of grace is the Latin word gratia from gratus, meaning 'pleasing',[5] and has nothing to do with slenderness or thinness.
[citation needed] In biology, the term is in common use, whether as English or Latin: In biological taxonomy, gracile is the specific name or specific epithet for various species.
Examples include: The same root appears in the names of some genera and higher taxa: