I. ˈgrādēənt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin gradient-, gradiens (influenced in meaning by English grade ) (I), present participle of gradi to step, go — more at grade
1.
a. : the inclination or the rate of regular or graded ascent or descent (as of a slope, roadway, or pipeline)
b. : a part (as of a road or pipeline) that slopes upward or downward : a portion of a way that is not level : slope , grade , ramp
2. : change in the value of a quantity (as temperature, pressure, or intensity of sound) per unit distance in a specified direction
vertical temperature gradient
electric potential gradient along a wire
3. : the vector sum of the partial derivatives with respect to the three coordinate variables x, y, z of a scalar quantity whose value varies from point to point
4.
a. : a graded difference in reactive capacity and metabolic activity along an embryonic axis or the radius of an embryonic field that constitutes a major effective agent in the organization of embryonic tissues and in the localization and differentiation of definitive structures and organs
b. : a graded difference in physiological activity especially along the primary axis of the body
II. adjective
: being a gradient
a gradient section of the road
: constituting a gradient
show definite gradient tendency — a tendency for the rate of delinquency and crime to decrease from the center outward — W.C.Reckless