grade

Etymology

Borrowed from French grade (“a grade, degree”), from Latin gradus (“a step, pace, a step in a ladder or stair, a station, position, degree”), from gradi (“to walk, step”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰradʰ-, *gʰredʰ- (“to walk, go”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌹𐌸𐍃 (griþs, “step, grade”), Bavarian Gritt (“step, stride”), Lithuanian grìdiju (“to go, wander”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɹeɪd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: grayed, greyed
• Rhymes: -eɪd

Noun

grade (plural grades)

1. A rating.

   I gave him a good grade for effort.

2. The performance of an individual or group on an examination or test, expressed by a number, letter, or other symbol; a score.

   He got a good grade on the test.

   This fine-grade coin from 1837 is worth a good amount.

3. A degree or level of something; a position within a scale; a degree of quality.
   • 1986–2012, paul wheaton permaculture, “Diatomaceous Earth (food grade): bug killer you can eat!”, in richsoil.com‎, retrieved 2014-03-17:

     There are a lot of varieties of diatomaceous earth, so when you are shopping, be sure to get the right stuff!
     
     Make sure that you get food grade diatomaceous earth. Some people make 3% of the food they eat be diatomaceous earth.

4. A slope (up or down) of a roadway or other passage

   The grade of this hill is more than 5 percent.

5. (Canada, US, education) A level of primary and secondary education.

   Clancy is entering the fifth grade this year.

   Clancy starts grade five this year.

6. (Canada, education) A student of a particular grade (used with the grade level).

   The grade fives are on a field trip.

7. An area that has been flattened by a grader (construction machine).
8. The level of the ground.

   This material absorbs moisture and is probably not a good choice for use below grade.

9. (mathematics) A gradian.
10. (geometry) In a linear system of divisors on an n-dimensional variety, the number of free intersection points of n generic divisors.
11. A harsh scraping or cutting; a grating.
    • (Can we date this quote?) John Greenleaf Whittier

      The grade of hatchets fiercely thrown / On wigwam-log, and tree, and stone.

12. (systematics) A taxon united by a level of morphological or physiological complexity that is not a clade.
13. (medicine) The degree of malignity of a tumor expressed on a scale.

Verb

grade (third-person singular simple present grades, present participle grading, simple past and past participle graded)

1. To assign scores to the components of an academic test.
2. To assign a score to overall academic performance.
3. To flatten, level, or smooth a large surface.
4. (sewing) To remove or trim part of a seam allowance from a finished seam so as to reduce bulk and make the finished piece more even when turned right side out.
5. (intransitive) To pass imperceptibly from one grade into another.
   • 1924, EM Forster, A Passage to India, Penguin 2005, p. 34:

     And there were circles even beyond these – […] humanity grading and drifting beyond the educated vision, until no earthly invitation can embrace it.

Derived terms

Anagrams

• Adger, Degar, EDGAR, Edgar, Gerda, garde, radge, raged

Noun

grade

1. plural of graad

Etymology

grado +‎ -e

Adverb

grade

1. gradually

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin gradus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡʁad/

• Audio (France, Paris)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ad
• Homophone: grades

Noun

grade m (plural grades)

1. rank
   • 1837, Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche, volume 1, translation of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Chapter XLII:

     Ce que je puis dire, c’est que le choix qu’avait fait ce gentilhomme de la carrière des armes lui avait si bien réussi, qu’en peu d’années, par sa valeur et sa belle conduite, et sans autre appui que son mérite éclatant, il parvint au grade de capitaine d’infanterie, et se vit en passe d’être promu bientôt à celui de mestre de camp.

     What I can say, is that the choice that this gentleman made concerning the career of arms succeeded well for him, that in few years, by his valour and good conduct, and without any support other than his shining merit, he reached the rank of captain of infantry, and saw himself in a position to be soon promoted to that of master of corps.

2. (geometry) gradian

Further reading

• “grade” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Etymology

13th century. From Latin cratis (“wickerwork”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾaðe̝/

Noun

grade f (plural grades)

1. grate (metal grille)
2. harrow (device dragged across ploughed land to smooth the soil)
   • 1474, Antonio López Ferreiro (ed.), Galicia Histórica. Colección diplomática. Santiago: Tipografía Galaica, page 74:

     Iten, preçaron duas grades e hun chedeiro e dous temoos de cerna, a parte dos menores em quorenta :XL -? maravedis

     Item, they appraised two harrows, a cart's bed and two shafts of heartwood, the part corresponding to the kids, 40 coins

3. any similarly formed frame or structure
4. common starfish (Asterias rubens)

   Synonyms: estrela do mar, rapacricas

5. Ursa Major

   Synonyms: Carro, Osa Maior

6. (archaich) cage

References

• “grade” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006-2012.
• “grade” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006-2016.
• “grade” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006-2013.
• “grade” in Santamarina, Antón (coord.): Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.
• “grade” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Etymology

From Old Portuguese grade, from Latin cratis, from Proto-Indo-European *krtis

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾa.ðɨ/
• Hyphenation: gra‧de

Noun

grade f (plural grades)

1. grate (metal grille)
2. a light fence
3. harrow (device dragged across ploughed land to smooth the soil)

Verb

grade

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of gradar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of gradar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of gradar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of gradar

Verb

grade

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of gradar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of gradar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of gradar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of gradar.