First Known Use: 1526
Dictionary
1grade
noun \ˈgrād\
: a level of study that is completed by a student during one year
: the students in the same year of study at a school
: a number or letter that indicates how a student performed in a class or on a test
Full Definition of GRADE
1
a (1) : a position in a scale of ranks or qualities (2) : a stage in a process b : a degree of severity in illness <grade III carcinoma> c : a class organized for the work of a particular year of a school course d : a military or naval rank
2
a : a class of things of the same stage or degree b : a mark indicating a degree of accomplishment in school c : a standard of food quality
3
a : the degree of inclination of a road or slope; also : a sloping road b : a datum or reference level; especially : ground level
4
: a domestic animal with one parent purebred and the other of inferior breeding
5
plural : the elementary school system
— grade·less \-ləs\ adjective
See grade defined for English-language learners
ADVERTISEMENT
Origin of GRADE
Latin gradus step, degree, from Latin gradi to step, go; akin to Lithuanian gridyti to go, wander
Other Education Terms
2grade
verb
: to give a grade to (a student or a student's work)
: to give a rating to (something)
: to separate (things) into groups or classes according to a particular quality
grad·edgrad·ing
Full Definition of GRADE
transitive verb
1
2
: to level off to a smooth horizontal or sloping surface
intransitive verb
1
a : to form a series b : blend
2
: to be of a particular grade
— grad·able \ˈgrā-də-bəl\ adjective
See grade defined for English-language learners
See grade defined for kids
First Known Use of GRADE
1659
Related to GRADE
- Synonyms
- assort, break down, categorize, class, codify, compartment, compartmentalize, digest, distinguish, distribute, classify, group, peg, place, range, rank, relegate, separate, sort, type
3grade
adjective
Definition of GRADE
: being, involving, or yielding domestic animals of improved but not pure stock <grade ewes> <grade breeding>
First Known Use of GRADE
1852
GRADABLE Defined for Kids
1grade
noun \ˈgrād\
Definition of GRADE for Kids
1
: a division of a school course representing a year's work <He's in the fourth grade.>
2
: the group of pupils in a school grade <Fifth grade is holding a bake sale.>
3
: a mark or rating especially in school <I got a grade of A on the test.>
4
: a position in a scale of rank, quality, or order <a social grade>
5
: a class of things that are of the same rank, quality, or order <A … hide was worth from four to ten dollars, depending on the grade and quality. — Wilson Rawls, Where the Red Fern Grows>
6
: the degree of slope (as of a road)
Word Root of GRADE
The Latin word gradus, meaning “step” or “degree,” gives us the root grad. Words from the Latin gradus have something to do with steps. Anything gradual happens slowly one step at a time. To degrade is to reduce from a higher to a lower degree. A grade is a step in school made up of one year of work. Even the word degree itself has gradus as its root.
2grade
verb
grad·edgrad·ing
Definition of GRADE for Kids
1
: to give a grade to as an indication of achievement <The teacher graded my report a B.>
2
: to give a rating to <I'd grade the movie a ten.>
3
: to arrange in grades according to some quality <The eggs were graded by size.>
4
: to make level or evenly sloping <grade a highway>
Medical Dictionary
grade
noun \ˈgrād\
Medical Definition of GRADE
: a degree of severity of a disease or abnormal condition <a grade III carcinoma>
Learn More About GRADE
Browse
ADVERTISEMENT
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up grade? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).