Dictionary grailCoveted goal

noun

grail

GRAYL/ɡreɪl/

A greatly desired goal or object of a search.

The collector holds her grail above the last empty space in the album.

A stamp collector discovers the coveted stamp that completes her collection: she holds it reverently above the only empty space in an otherwise filled album, visibly delighted, with searched-through stamp trays beside her.

Etymology

graalOld Frencha cup or large shallow dish; also the Holy Grail

The Holy Grail, a sacred cup sought in legend, became a metaphor for any greatly desired object.

More examples

A cure remains the researchers' grail.
The lost recording is a grail for collectors.

Forms

grail

Similar words

prize: A desired reward that need not require a long search.
goal: A desired outcome with less suggestion of rarity or supreme value.