degree

American  

[dih-gree] / dɪˈgri /

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.

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.

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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.

degree British  

/ 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. 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.  °.  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.  °.  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. little by little; gradually

16. somewhat; rather

17. See frost

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degree Scientific  

/ 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.

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degree Cultural  

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.

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degree More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

• degreed adjective
• degreeless adjective
• predegree noun

Etymology

Origin of degree

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

Example Sentences

"The distance reach with structured light, both classical and quantum, remains very low … but this is also an opportunity, stimulating the search for more abstract degrees of freedom to exploit."

From Science Daily

In the evening, she studied public administration in a remote program of the University of Oklahoma and earned her second master’s degree.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fanning: I don’t know if I’ve had like a panic attack to that degree.

From Los Angeles Times

“We’ll be sitting almost between 15 and 20 degrees above normal for the time of year,” said weather service meteorologist Todd Hall.

From Los Angeles Times

The fellow students on Flament's international business degree course had been through a battery of interviews and assessments to secure high-flying internships.

From BBC

Related Words

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