n.
Pronunciation: ' gr ā d
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin gradus step, degree, from Latin gradi to step, go; akin to Lithuanian gridyti to go, wander
Date: 1526
1 a (1) : a position in a scale of ranks or qualities (2) : a stage in a process b : a degree of severity in illness < grade III carcinoma> c : a class organized for the work of a particular year of a school course d : a military or naval rank
2 a : a class of things of the same stage or degree b : a mark indicating a degree of accomplishment in school c : a standard of food quality
3 a : the degree of inclination of a road or slope also : a sloping road b : a datum or reference level especially : ground level
4 : a domestic animal with one parent purebred and the other of inferior breeding
5 plural : the elementary school system
– grade · less \ -l ə s \ adjective