gradus

See also: Gradus and grádus

English

Etymology

From Gradus ad Parnassum (Latin, literally, a step to Parnassus), a 17th-century prosody dictionary long used in British schools. Doublet of grade.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹeɪdəs/

Noun

gradus (plural graduses)

1. A handbook used as an aid in a difficult art or practice, specifically, a dictionary of Greek or Latin prosody used as a guide in writing of poetry in Greek or Latin.

Anagrams

• Dagurs, Dugars, Guards, draugs, durags, guards

French

Etymology

Ellipsis of Gradus ad Parnassum (literally “a step to Parnassus”), a 17th-century prosody dictionary long used in British schools. Doublet of grade.

Noun

gradus m (plural gradus)

1. gradus
2. any books of instruction, or guides, in which gradual progress in literature, language instruction, music, or the arts in general, is sought

Further reading

• “gradus”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *graðus, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ- (“to walk, go”). See gradior (“to step, walk”) for discussion on cognates.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈɡra.dus/, [ˈɡräd̪ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈɡra.dus/, [ˈɡräːd̪us]

Noun

gradus m (genitive gradūs); fourth declension

1. a step, pace
2. a grade
3. a stage, degree
4. a rank

   Synonyms: ōrdō, classis, sors

5. (by extension) a position, station, ground
6. firm position, stand
7. a step, stair, rung of a ladder
8. a braid of hair
9. (mathematics) degree
   • 1553, Luminarum atque Planetarum motuum Tabulae octogina quinque, omnium ex his quae Alphonsum sequuntur quam faciles‎^[1]:

     Motus, seu locus, per signa, gradus, minuta, et secunda constitutus, intelligitur (secundum regulam Alphonsi) signa physica, id est quodlibet signum ex 60 gradibus compositum, et quilibet gradus ex 60 minutis, et quodlibet minutum ex 60 secundis, et sic succesivem: et per consequens, sex signa totum circulum perficiunt.

     A motion, or location, for a sign, being composed of degrees, minutes, and seconds, is understood (according to the rule of Alphonse) to be a physical sign, that is, every sign is composed of 60 degrees, and every degree of 60 minutes, and every minute of 60 seconds, and so on and so forth: and in consequence, six signs make up an entire circle.

Declension

• Archaic genitive singular graduis is occasionally found.

Fourth-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	gradus	gradūs
genitive	gradūs	graduum
dative	graduī	gradibus
accusative	gradum	gradūs
ablative	gradū	gradibus
vocative	gradus	gradūs

Derived terms

• gradālis
• gradārius
• gradātim
• gradātiō
• gradātus
• gradilis

Related terms

• gradior

Descendants

• Asturian: grau
• Catalan: grau
  • → Spanish: grao
• Italian: grado
• Occitan: gra
• Old Galician-Portuguese: grao, graao
  • Galician: grao
  • Portuguese: grau
• Old Spanish: grado
  • Spanish: grado
• ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *grada
  • Catalan: grada
  • Emilian: grada
  • Sicilian: grada
  • Spanish: grada
  • Occitan: grasa
• ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *dēgradus
  • Old French: degré
    • → English: degree
    • French degré
    • Norman: dégré
  • Occitan: degrà
  • Portuguese: degrau
• → English: gradus
• → Esperanto: grado
• → Hungarian: grádus
• → Middle French: grade
  • French: grade
    • → Romanian: grad
  • → English: grade
• → Old High German: grād (from Gallo-Romance)
  • German: Grad
• → Old Irish: grád
  • Middle Irish: grád
    • Irish: grádh
    • ⇒ Irish: grád (with d replacing expected dh under English and French influence)
• → Old Norse: gráða (“step, degree; podium”) (from Gallo-Romance)
  • Icelandic: gráða
• → Portuguese: grado
• → Proto-Brythonic: *grað
  • Welsh: gradd
• → Russian: градус (gradus)
• → Swedish: grad

Further reading

• “gradus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “gradus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• gradus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• gradus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[2], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to take a step: gradum facere
    
  • to increase one's pace: gradum addere (sc. gradui) (Liv. 26. 9)
    
  • on tiptoe: suspenso gradu
    
  • to retreat step by step: gradum sensim referre
    
  • to disconcert a person: animum alicuius de statu, de gradu demovere (more strongly depellere, deturbare)
    
  • to lose one's composure; to be disconcerted: de gradu deici, ut dicitur
    
  • to occupy a very high position in the state: in altissimo dignitatis gradu collocatum, locatum, positum esse
    
  • to depose, bring down a person from his elevated position: aliquem ex altissimo dignitatis gradu praecipitare (Dom. 37. 98)
    
  • to overthrow a person (cf. sect. IX. 6): aliquem de dignitatis gradu demovere
    
  • to overthrow a person (cf. sect. IX. 6): aliquem gradu movere, depellere or de gradu (statu) deicere
    
  • to attain a position of dignity: dignitatis gradum ascendere
    
  • to reach the highest grade of office: amplissimos honorum gradus assequi, adipisci
    
  • to advance rapidly: citato gradu incedere (cf. sect. II. 5)
    
  • to halt: gradum sistere
    
  • to march on the enemy: gradum inferre in hostem
    
• “gradus”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “gradus”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin