gradus

¹

[grey-duhs]

noun

Music.

plural

graduses 

1. a work consisting wholly or in part of exercises of increasing difficulty.

gradus

²

[grey-duhs]

noun

plural

graduses 

1. a dictionary of prosody, especially one that gives word quantities and poetic phrases and that is intended to aid students in the writing of Latin and Greek verse.

gradus

/ ˈɡreɪdəs /

noun

1. a book of études or other musical exercises arranged in order of increasing difficulty

2. prosody a dictionary or textbook of prosody for use in writing Latin or Greek verse

Word History and Origins

Origin of gradus¹

< Latin: grade, step

Origin of gradus²

First recorded in 1755–65; after Gradus ad Parnassum (a step to Parnassus), Latin title of a dictionary of prosody much used in English public schools during the 18th and 19th centuries

Word History and Origins

Origin of gradus¹

C18: shortened from Latin Gradus ad Parnassum a step towards Parnassus, a dictionary of prosody used in the 18th and 19th centuries