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degree
de·gree / diˈgrē/ • n. 1. [in sing.] the amount, level, or extent to which something happens or is present: a degree of caution. 2. a unit of measurement of angles, one three-hundred-and-sixtieth of the circumference of a circle. (Symbol: °) 3. a stage in a scale or series, in particular: ∎ a unit in any of various scales of temperature, intensity, or hardness: water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. (Symbol: °) ∎ [in comb.] each of a set of grades (usually three) used to classify burns according to their severity. See first-degree, second-degree, third-degree. ∎ [in comb.] a legal grade of crime or offense, esp. murder: second-degree murder. ∎ Mus. a position in a musical scale, counting upward from the tonic or fundamental note: the lowered third degree of the scale. ∎ Math. the class into which an equation falls according to the highest power of unknowns or variables present: an equation of the second degree. ∎ Gram. any of the three steps on the scale of comparison of gradable adjectives and adverbs, namely positive, comparative, and superlative. ∎ archaic a thing placed like a step in a series; a tier or row. 4. an academic rank conferred by a college or university after examination or after completion of a course of study, or conferred as an honor on a distinguished person. ∎ archaic social or official rank: persons of unequal degree. ∎ a rank in an order of Freemasonry. PHRASES: by degrees a little at a time; gradually. to a degree to some extent: to a degree, it is possible to educate oneself. |
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"degree." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "degree." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-degree.html "degree." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-degree.html |
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DEGREE
DEGREE.
1. A grammatical category for items of language used to express relative intensity: very much, of a verb in I admire them very much; highly, of an adjective in highly intelligent; very, of an adverb in very often; big, of a noun in a big fool; dead, of a preposition in They're dead against it. Such intensifiers or words of degree are used with other words that are gradable (that is, on a scale of intensity). They may indicate a relatively high or low point: slightly, somewhat, hardly, a bit. 2. Three types of comparison applied to gradable adjectives and adverbs: to a high degree (bigger, biggest); to the same degree (as big as), and with a preceding negative (not so big as); to a lower degree (less big, least big). Non-extreme forms may be followed by comparative clauses: ‘Jeremy is taller than his parents (are)’; ‘Naomi is less tall than Ruth (is)’; ‘Doreen is as tall as Leslie (is).’ Higher-degree comparisons may be expressed by inflections (the absolute or positive degree happy, the comparative degree happier, and the superlative degree happiest) or periphrastically, in combination with more for comparatives (more happy) and most for superlatives (most happy). Monosyllabic adjectives (young, sad, small) generally take inflections, polysyllabic adjectives (beautiful) periphrastic more/most. Many disyllabic adjectives take either form: commoner/more common, commonest/most common. Most adverbs allow only periphrastic comparison (happily/more happily/most happily), but a few are suppletive: badly/worse/worst; well/better/best. See PERIPHRASIS, SUPPLETION. |
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TOM McARTHUR. "DEGREE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. TOM McARTHUR. "DEGREE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-DEGREE.html TOM McARTHUR. "DEGREE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-DEGREE.html |
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degree
degree
1. of a vertex of a graph. The number of edges incident with the vertex, i.e. that emanate from that vertex. In a directed graph, the indegree is the number of edges entering a vertex while the outdegree is the number leaving a vertex. 2. of a node in a tree. The number of children of that node, i.e. the number of subtrees rooted at that node. More correctly, this is the outdegree of the node. 3. of a tree. The maximum degree of all the nodes in the tree. 4. of a polynomial. See polynomial. |
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JOHN DAINTITH. "degree." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN DAINTITH. "degree." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-degree.html JOHN DAINTITH. "degree." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-degree.html |
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Degree
DEGREEExtent, measure, or scope of an action, condition, or relation. Legal extent of guilt ornegligence. Title conferred on graduates of school, college, or university. The state or civil condition of a person. The grade or distance one thing may be removed from another; i.e., the distance, or number of removes that separate two persons who are related by consanguinity. Thus, a sibling is in the second degree of kinship but a parent is in the first degree of kinship. |
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"Degree." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Degree." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437701337.html "Degree." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437701337.html |
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degree
degree In mathematics, unit of angular measure equal to 1/360 of a complete revolution. One degree is written 1°, and can be divided into 60 parts called minutes (e.g. 20′), which may in turn be divided into 60 parts called seconds (e.g. 25″). Three-hundred-and-sixty degrees are equal to 2p radians. In physics and engineering, a degree is one unit on any of various scales, such as the Celsius temperature scale.
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"degree." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "degree." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-degree.html "degree." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-degree.html |
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degree
degree. A note's classification regarding its position in the scale. When a note is 3 degrees from another, the interval separating them is a 4th. The notes of the major scale are called the 1st, 2nd, etc. degrees of the scale, returning to the first degree. Alternative names for the 7 degrees are tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, and leading-note.
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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "degree." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "degree." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-degree.html MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "degree." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-degree.html |
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degree
degree degree of freedom each of a number of independently variable factors affecting the range of states in which a system may exist, in particular any of the directions in which independent motion can occur.
prohibited degrees the number of steps of consanguinity or affinity within which marriage is not allowed. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "degree." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "degree." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-degree.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "degree." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-degree.html |
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degree
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T. F. HOAD. "degree." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "degree." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-degree.html T. F. HOAD. "degree." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-degree.html |
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Degree
Degreea rank or class of persons in society. |
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"Degree." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Degree." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505300510.html "Degree." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505300510.html |
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degree
degree, in circular measure 1//360 of a circle.
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"degree." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "degree." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-degree.html "degree." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-degree.html |
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degree
degree
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"degree." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "degree." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-degree.html "degree." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-degree.html |
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