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degree
[dih-gree]
noun
any of a series of steps or stages, as in a process or course of action; a point in any scale.
a stage or point in or as if in progression or retrogression.
We followed the degrees of her recovery with joy.
Synonyms: , , , ,a stage in a scale of intensity or amount.
a high degree of mastery.
extent, measure, scope, or the like.
To what degree will he cooperate?
a stage in a scale of rank or station; relative standing in society, business, etc..
His uncouth behavior showed him to be a man of low degree.
Education.an academic title conferred by universities and colleges as an indication of the completion of a course of study, or as an honorary recognition of achievement.
a unit of measure, as of temperature or pressure, marked off on the scale of a measuring instrument.
This thermometer shows a scale of degrees between only 20° and 40° C.
Geometry.the 360th part of a complete angle or turn, often represented by the sign °, as in 45°, which is read as 45 degrees.
the distinctive classification of a crime according to its gravity.
murder in the first degree.
Grammar.one of the parallel formations of adjectives and adverbs used to express differences in quality, quantity, or intensity. In English, low and careful are the positive degree, lower and more careful are the comparative degree, lowest and most careful are the superlative degree.
Mathematics.
the sum of the exponents of the variables in an algebraic term.
x3 and 2x2y are terms of degree three.
the term of highest degree of a given equation or polynomial.
The expression 3x2y + y2 + 1 is of degree three.
the exponent of the derivative of highest order appearing in a given differential equation.
Music.a tone or step of the scale.
Astrology.any of the 360 equal divisions of the ecliptic measured counterclockwise from the vernal equinox. Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac contains 30 degrees.
a certain distance or remove in the line of descent, determining the proximity of relationship.
a cousin of the second degree.
Archaic.a line or point on the earth or the celestial sphere, as defined by degrees of latitude.
Obsolete.a step, as of a stair.
degree
/ ɪˈɡː /
noun
a stage in a scale of relative amount or intensity
a high degree of competence
an academic award conferred by a university or college on successful completion of a course or as an honorary distinction ( honorary degree )
any of three categories of seriousness of a burn See burn 1
(in the US) any of the categories into which a crime is divided according to its seriousness
first-degree murder
genealogy a step in a line of descent, used as a measure of the closeness of a blood relationship
grammar any of the forms of an adjective used to indicate relative amount or intensity: in English they are positive, comparative, and superlative
music any note of a diatonic scale relative to the other notes in that scale
D is the second degree of the scale of C major
°.a unit of temperature on a specified scale See also Celsius scale Fahrenheit scale
the normal body temperature of man is 36.8 degrees Celsius
°.a measure of angle equal to one three-hundred-and-sixtieth of the angle traced by one complete revolution of a line about one of its ends See also minute 1 second 2 Compare radian
°.
a unit of latitude or longitude, divided into 60 minutes, used to define points on the earth's surface or on the celestial sphere
a point or line defined by units of latitude and/or longitude
°.a unit on any of several scales of measurement, as for alcohol content or specific gravity
maths
the highest power or the sum of the powers of any term in a polynomial or by itself
x4 + x + 3 and xyz² are of the fourth degree
the greatest power of the highest order derivative in a differential equation
obsoletea step; rung
archaica stage in social status or rank
little by little; gradually
somewhat; rather
See frost
degree
A unit division of a temperature scale.
A unit for measuring an angle or an arc of a circle. One degree is 1/360 of the circumference of a circle.
This unit used to measure latitude or longitude on the Earth's surface.
The greatest sum of the exponents of the variables in a term of a polynomial or polynomial equation. For example, x 3 + 2 xy + x is of the third degree.
degree
In geometry, a unit of measurement of angles, 1/360 of a circle. In physics, a unit of temperature (see Celsius, Fahrenheit (see also Fahrenheit), and Kelvin scale). A degree on the Fahrenheit scale is smaller than a degree on the Celsius or Kelvin scale. Degrees on the Celsius and Kelvin scales are the same size.
Other Word Forms
- degreed adjective
- degreeless adjective
- predegree noun
- ˈ adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of degree1
Idioms and Phrases
by degrees, by easy stages; gradually.
She grew angrier by degrees.
to a degree,
to a considerable extent; exceedingly.
to a small extent; somewhat.
He is to a degree difficult to get along with.
Example Sentences
He spoke flawless American English, having spent much of his childhood in upstate New York and then attended MIT, where he earned multiple degrees.
Determined to save enough for college classes toward her degree, Amy has also shouldered the responsibility of supporting her mother, who has grown dependent on painkillers.
The United States has also contributed to this effort to a degree with sustained operations against the Houthis in Yemen from March to May this year, including hundreds of airstrikes.
For more than a decade Israel has been trying, with varying degrees of success, to slow down and set back Iran's nuclear progress.
Of course, all fictional detectives, whether social, antisocial or introverted, tend to be superhuman to some degree, whatever personal challenges they might face, with a more original, more acute perception than their colleagues.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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