degree

[ dih-gree ]

noun

1. any of a series of steps or stages, as in a process or course of action; a point in any scale.
2. a stage or point in or as if in progression or retrogression:

   We followed the degrees of her recovery with joy.

   Synonyms: phase, level, grade, mark, step

3. a stage in a scale of intensity or amount:

   a high degree of mastery.

4. extent, measure, scope, or the like:

   To what degree will he cooperate?

5. a stage in a scale of rank or station; relative standing in society, business, etc.:

   His uncouth behavior showed him to be a man of low degree.

6. Education. an academic title conferred by universities and colleges as an indication of the completion of a course of study, or as an honorary recognition of achievement.
7. a unit of measure, as of temperature or pressure, marked off on the scale of a measuring instrument:

   This thermometer shows a scale of degrees between only 20° and 40° C.

8. Geometry. the 360th part of a complete angle or turn, often represented by the sign °, as in 45°, which is read as 45 degrees. Compare angle ¹( def 1c ).
9. the distinctive classification of a crime according to its gravity:

   murder in the first degree.

10. Grammar. one of the parallel formations of adjectives and adverbs used to express differences in quality, quantity, or intensity. In English, low and careful are the positive degree, lower and more careful are the comparative degree, lowest and most careful are the superlative degree.
11. Mathematics.
    1. the sum of the exponents of the variables in an algebraic term:

       x3 and 2x2y are terms of degree three.

    2. the term of highest degree of a given equation or polynomial:

       The expression 3x2y + y2 + 1 is of degree three.

    3. the exponent of the derivative of highest order appearing in a given differential equation.
12. Music. a tone or step of the scale.
13. Astrology. any of the 360 equal divisions of the ecliptic measured counterclockwise from the vernal equinox. Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac contains 30 degrees.
14. a certain distance or remove in the line of descent, determining the proximity of relationship:

    a cousin of the second degree.

15. Archaic. a line or point on the earth or the celestial sphere, as defined by degrees of latitude.
16. Obsolete. a step, as of a stair.

degree

/ dɪˈɡriː /

noun

1. a stage in a scale of relative amount or intensity

   a high degree of competence

2. an academic award conferred by a university or college on successful completion of a course or as an honorary distinction ( honorary degree )
3. See burn
   any of three categories of seriousness of a burn See burn 1
4. (in the US) any of the categories into which a crime is divided according to its seriousness

   first-degree murder

5. genealogy a step in a line of descent, used as a measure of the closeness of a blood relationship
6. grammar any of the forms of an adjective used to indicate relative amount or intensity: in English they are positive, comparative, and superlative
7. music any note of a diatonic scale relative to the other notes in that scale

   D is the second degree of the scale of C major

8. See Fahrenheit scale, Celsius scale
   a unit of temperature on a specified scale ° See also Celsius scale Fahrenheit scale

   the normal body temperature of man is 36.8 degrees Celsius

9. See radian, minute
   a measure of angle equal to one three-hundred-and-sixtieth of the angle traced by one complete revolution of a line about one of its ends ° See also minute 1 second 2 Compare radian
10. °
    1. a unit of latitude or longitude, divided into 60 minutes, used to define points on the earth's surface or on the celestial sphere
    2. a point or line defined by units of latitude and/or longitude
11. a unit on any of several scales of measurement, as for alcohol content or specific gravity °
12. maths
    1. the highest power or the sum of the powers of any term in a polynomial or by itself

       x4 + x + 3 and xyz² are of the fourth degree

    2. the greatest power of the highest order derivative in a differential equation
13. obsolete.
    a step; rung
14. archaic.
    a stage in social status or rank
15. by degrees
    by degrees little by little; gradually
16. to a degree
    to a degree somewhat; rather
17. See frost
    degrees of frost
    degrees of frost See frost

degree

/ dĭ-grē′ /

1. A unit division of a temperature scale.
2. 1. A unit for measuring an angle or an arc of a circle. One degree is 1 360 of the circumference of a circle.
   2. This unit used to measure latitude or longitude on the Earth's surface.
3. The greatest sum of the exponents of the variables in a term of a polynomial or polynomial equation. For example, x ³ + 2 xy + x is of the third degree.

degree

1. In geometry , a unit of measurement of angles, 1/360 of a circle. In physics , a unit of temperature ( see Celsius , Fahrenheit (see also Fahrenheit ), and Kelvin scale ). A degree on the Fahrenheit scale is smaller than a degree on the Celsius or Kelvin scale. Degrees on the Celsius and Kelvin scales are the same size.

Derived Forms

• deˈgreeless, adjective

Other Words From

• de·greed adjective
• de·gree·less adjective
• pre·de·gree noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of degree¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English degre, from Anglo-French, Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin dēgradus; de-, grade

Word History and Origins

Origin of degree¹

C13: from Old French degre, from Latin de- + gradus step, grade

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. by degrees, by easy stages; gradually:

   She grew angrier by degrees.

2. to a degree,
   1. to a considerable extent; exceedingly.
   2. to a small extent; somewhat:

      He is to a degree difficult to get along with.

More idioms and phrases containing degree

see by degrees ; third degree ; to some degree ; to the nth degree .

Example Sentences

So this was seen as perhaps the first known use of this degree to enact a large data grab.

From MIT Technology Review

While it’s unclear how exactly Opendoor is now faring financially, shares of competitors Redfin and Zillow—which have also jumped into the iBuying market, though to a lesser degree—have breached all-time highs.

From Fortune

Crop yields, though, will drop sharply with every degree of warming.

From ProPublica

After his two years in the Peace Corps, Hastings went back to school — this time to Stanford for a graduate degree in computer science.

From Freakonomics

ByteDance is in the mix, along with Microsoft, Walmart and other companies to a lesser degree, like Oracle.

From TechCrunch

“He turned pale, trembled to a great degree, was much agitated, and began to cry,” she told the court.

From The Daily Beast

Investigators will focus on whether the sudden emergency was so extreme that no degree of pilot skill would have helped.

From The Daily Beast

Dean Todd remained my friend until I graduated in 1988, with my degree in English literature.

From The Daily Beast

“I brought it with no small degree of trepidation,” Kucinich recalled in a lengthy phone conversation with the Daily Beast.

From The Daily Beast

I am not one of those people who believe that anyone with a college degree is by definition smarter than those without one.

From The Daily Beast

It is only just to say, that the officers exhibited a degree of courage far beyond any thing we had expected from them.

From Project Gutenberg

He asked what time was usually spent in determining between right and wrong, and what degree of expense?

From Project Gutenberg

He was a bookbinder previous to going upon the stage; and acquired a high degree of reputation as an actor.

From Project Gutenberg

His Indian repute had not preceded him to such degree as to make the way easy for him through the London crowd.

From Project Gutenberg

This is often of great advantage, as the strength of repose is expressed to a great degree in restraint of movement.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• class
• credit
• grade
• honor
• level
• magnitude
• point
• position
• qualification
• quality
• scope
• sort
• standard
• status
• strength