coup de grâce*: Meaning and Definition of

coup de grâce

Pronunciation: (kd gräs'), [key]
— pl. coups de grâce
  1. a death blow, esp. one delivered mercifully to end suffering.
  2. any finishing or decisive stroke.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.