Coup de Grâce

The French expression coup de grâce (also written coup de grace) literally means "blow of mercy", or death-blow. It refers to the mercy killing intended to end the suffering of a mortally wounded creature. More figuratively, it can also refer to a cataclysmic event or decisive act that brings about drastic change, for example:

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:The coup de grace was the closing of the Shell refinery in 1985.http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/caribbean/curacao/history.htm

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The French pronunciation of coup de grâce is {{IPA|}}, (2 syllables, not 3) which is not obvious to many English speakers. Most English speakers pronounce it instead as {{IPA|}}, which sounds like coup de gras ("blow of fat"). In French the plural of coup de grâce is coups de grâce ("blows of mercy"), which is pronounced the same as the singular form.

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The practice of the coup de grâce can be traced back to the beginning of recorded history. It has generally been somewhat less controversial than euthanasia, since it specifically applies only to the killing of the mortally wounded.

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In the roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons, a Coup de Grace is an automatic critical hit that can be performed as a full round action (takes about six seconds) with a melee weapon, or a bow or crosbow at close range. If the damage dealt by the blow is not sufficient to kill the target, he must succeed a Saving throw, whose success value is set based on the damage dealt, or die.

Related Topics:
Roleplaying game - Dungeons and Dragons - Critical hit - Melee weapon - Saving throw

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