n.
Pronunciation: ' gr ā -d ē - ə nt
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin gradient-, gradiens, present participle of gradi
Date: 1835
1 a : the rate of regular or graded ascent or descent : INCLINATION b : a part sloping upward or downward
2 : change in the value of a quantity (as temperature, pressure, or concentration) with change in a given variable and especially per unit distance in a specified direction
3 : the vector sum of the partial derivatives with respect to the three coordinate variables x, y, and z of a scalar quantity whose value varies from point to point
4 : a graded difference in physiological activity along an axis (as of the body or an embryonic field)
5 : change in response with distance from the stimulus