gravamen

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: gra=va=men

CIDE DICTIONARY

gravamen, n. [L., fr. gravare to load, burden, fr. gravis heavy, weighty. See Grave, a.].

 The grievance complained of; the substantial cause of the action; also, in general, the ground or essence of a complaint. Bouvier.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

gravamen, n. (pl. gravamens or gravamina)
1 the essence or most serious part of an argument.
2 a grievance.

Etymology

LL, = inconvenience, f. L gravare to load f. gravis heavy

THESAURUS

gravamen

axiom, bench mark, best part, better part, body, bulk, cardinal point, center, chief thing, climax, core, cornerstone, crisis, critical point, crux, elixir, essence, essential, essential matter, flower, focus, fundamental, generality, gist, great point, heart, high point, hypostasis, important thing, inner essence, issue, kernel, keystone, landmark, main body, main point, main thing, major part, majority, marrow, mass, material point, meat, milestone, most, nub, nucleus, nuts and bolts, pith, pivot, plurality, postulate, principle, quid, quiddity, quintessence, real issue, salient point, sap, sine qua non, soul, spirit, stuff, substance, substantive point, the bottom line, the nitty-gritty, the point, thrust, turning point

ROGET THESAURUS

gravamen

Importance

N importance, consequence, moment, prominence, consideration, mark, materialness, import, significance, concern, emphasis, interest, greatness, superiority, notability, weight, value, usefulness, gravity, seriousness, solemnity, no joke, no laughing matter, pressure, urgency, stress, matter of life and death, memorabilia, notabilia, great doings, red-letter day, great thing, great point, main chance, the be all and the end all, cardinal point, substance, gist, sum and substance, gravamen, head and front, important part, principal part, prominent part, essential part, half the battle, sine qua non, breath of one's nostrils, cream, salt, core, kernel, heart, nucleus, keynote, keystone, corner stone, trump card, salient points, top sawyer, first fiddle, prima donna, chief, triton among the minnows, 'it', important, of importance, momentous, material, to the point, not to be overlooked, not to be despised, not to be sneezed at, egregious, weighty, of note, notable, prominent, salient, signal, memorable, remarkable, unforgettable, worthy of remark, worthy of notice, never to be forgotten, stirring, eventful, grave, serious, earnest, noble, grand, solemn, impressive, commanding, imposing, urgent, pressing, critical, instant, paramount, essential, vital, all-absorbing, radical, cardinal, chief, main, prime, primary, principal, leading, capital, foremost, overruling, of vital importance in the front rank, first-rate, superior, considerable, marked, rare, significant, telling, trenchant, emphatic, pregnant, tanti, materially, in the main, above all, kat' exochin, par excellence, to crown all, to beat all, expende Hannibalem!.