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grade

Etymology and origin of the French word grade

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1578, Henri Estienne
Ultimate origin
Latin (gradior)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French grade
English grade

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɡʁad/[1]

Forms

grade m (plural grades)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian grado or Latin gradus (“step; rank”),[2][3][4][5] a derivative of gradior (“to walk, step”).[2][6] Rey explains that “gradus” meant a pace, then a step on a ladder or stair, hence “degree” and “rank”.[2] Littré compared German schreiten (“to stride”).[7] It is a doublet of gradus, and the inherited counterpart is degré.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Henri Estienne uses it in 1578 in the sense “degree of dignity or honour”.[8][2]

Semantic evolution

This classical sense, found in Corneille, is now obsolete, as is “step of a stair” (1611).[2][3] The word was specialised for a degree in a hierarchy (1690),[2][4] a university degree (1718) and a military rank (1798);[8] hence monter en grade and the familiar en prendre pour son grade “to get a dressing-down”, noted in 1908 and used by Proust in 1913.[8][2] Rostand's les sans-grades in L'Aiglon gave sans-grade “person of humble rank”.[2]

In geometry the grade (1803) is the hundredth part of a right angle, the source of centigrade (1811).[8][2] The derivative gradé “holding (a low) rank” dates from 1796.[2][9]

Timeline

  • 1578 – “Degree of dignity” in Henri Estienne.[8]
  • 1690 – A degree in a hierarchy, in Furetière.[2]
  • 1718 – A university degree.[8]
  • 1796 – Gradé.[2]
  • 1798 – A military rank.[8]
  • 1803 – A unit of angle, in Boiste.[8]
  • 1908 – En prendre pour son grade.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A rank or grade in a hierarchy, especially a military one: le grade de capitaine, monter en grade.[4][8]
  2. A university degree.[8][7]
  3. (familiar) En prendre pour son grade: to get a dressing-down.[4][10]
  4. (geometry) A gradian, the hundredth part of a right angle.[10][1]
  5. (obsolete) A degree of dignity or honour.[3][4]

Word family

  • gradé
  • centigrade
  • dégrader

Usage notes

A second grade (1960), borrowed from English grade, is used with a number for the SAE viscosity grade of an engine oil.[3][4][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 206a
  6. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  9. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  10. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Borrowed into

Cite this entry

“Grade.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/grade. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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