Etymologically
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grade

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 21:00. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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)