gradient

American  

[grey-dee-uhnt] / ˈgreɪ di ənt /

noun

1. the degree of inclination, or the rate of ascent or descent, in a highway, railroad, etc.

2. an inclined surface; grade; ramp.

3. Physics.

   1. the rate of change with respect to distance of a variable quantity, as temperature or pressure, in the direction of maximum change.

   2. a curve representing such a rate of change.

4. Mathematics. a differential operator that, operating upon a function of several variables, results in a vector the coordinates of which are the partial derivatives of the function. grad. ∇

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adjective

1. rising or descending by regular degrees of inclination.

2. progressing by walking; stepping with the feet as animals do.

3. of a type suitable for walking or running, as the feet of certain birds; gressorial.

gradient British  

/ ˈɡreɪdɪənt /

noun

1. Also called (esp US): grade.  a part of a railway, road, etc, that slopes upwards or downwards; inclination

2. Also called (esp US and Canadian): grade.  a measure of such a slope, esp the ratio of the vertical distance between two points on the slope to the horizontal distance between them

3. physics a measure of the change of some physical quantity, such as temperature or electric potential, over a specified distance

4. maths

   1. (of a curve) the slope of the tangent at any point on a curve with respect to the horizontal axis

   2. (of a function, f ( x, y, z )) the vector whose components along the axes are the partial derivatives of the function with respect to each variable, and whose direction is that in which the derivative of the function has its maximum value. Usually written: grad f , ∇ f or ∇ f Compare curl divergence

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adjective

1. sloping uniformly

gradient Scientific  

/ grā′dē-ənt /

1. The degree to which something inclines; a slope. A mountain road with a gradient of ten percent rises one foot for every ten feet of horizontal length.

2. The rate at which a physical quantity, such as temperature or pressure changes over a distance.

3. A operator on scalar fields yielding a vector function, where the value of the vector evaluated at any point indicates the direction and degree of change of the field at that point.

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Etymology

Origin of gradient

1635–45; < Latin gradient- (stem of gradiēns ), present participle of gradī to walk, go, equivalent to grad- walk + -i- thematic vowel + -ent- -ent

Example Sentences

Weak offshore gradients that bring warm desert air to the coast add to the heat, said Robbie Monroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

From Los Angeles Times

“Time to recalibrate my gradient on the big picture,” one co-founder wrote to announce his last day.

From The Wall Street Journal

The findings also show that broad ecological patterns, such as precipitation gradients and the influence of altitude, remain detectable even under extreme conditions and can be observed at the genetic level.

From Science Daily

In options trading, there are gradients of success.

From The Wall Street Journal

In “Vaccine Flag,” a vertical banner arcs gracefully across a soft gradient of L.A. haze, but the banner’s fabric is so tattered and decayed that its advertisement for vaccines is barely legible.

From Los Angeles Times