- a cup or chalice that in medieval legend was associated with unusual powers, especially the regeneration of life and, later, Christian purity, and was much sought after by medieval knights: identified with the cup used at the Last Supper: Wagner adapted the story of his opera Parsifal from the medieval legends of the search for the Holy Grail.
- grail: Brisket is the holy grail of barbecue because it's considered so difficult to cook well.
- (in medieval legend) the bowl used by Jesus at the Last Supper. It was allegedly brought to Britain by Joseph of Arimathea, where it became the quest of many knights
- (in modern spirituality) a symbol of the spiritual wholeness that leads a person to union with the divine
- any desired ambition or goal
