degree
noun
de·gree
| \ di-ˈgrē
\
\
Definition of degree
1
: a step or stage in a process, course, or order of classification
advanced by degrees We all know that you're only three degrees away from all sorts of interesting and even famous people on social media.— Alex Proud
2a
: a rank or grade of official, ecclesiastical, or social position
people of low degree
b
archaic
: a particular standing especially as to dignity or worth
c
: the civil (see civil sense 4) condition or status of a person
3
genealogy
: a step in a direct line of descent or in the line of ascent to a common ancestor
b
archaic
: a member of a series arranged in steps (as of parts of a structure)
5
medical
: a measure of damage to tissue caused by injury or disease — compare first-degree burn, second-degree burn, third-degree burn
6a
: the extent, measure, or scope of an action, condition, or relation
different in degree but not in kind requiring a high degree of skill
b
: relative intensity
a high degree of stress
c
grammar
: one of the forms or sets of forms used in the comparison of an adjective or adverb
7a
education
: a title conferred on students by a college, university, or professional school on completion of a program of study
earned her four-year degree associate's degrees has a degree in psychology
b
: a grade of membership attained in a ritualistic order or society
received his first degree in the Knights of Columbus
c
: an academic title conferred to honor distinguished achievement or service
The actor was presented with an honorary degree.
d
: the formal ceremonies observed in the conferral of such a distinction
8
mathematics
: a unit of measure for angles equal to an angle with its vertex at the center of a circle and its sides cutting off ¹/₃₆₀ of the circumference
a fifteen degree angle 47 degrees Latitude
also
: a unit of measure for arcs of a circle equal to the amount of arc that subtends a central angle of one degree
9
archaic
: a position or space on the earth or in the heavens as measured by degrees of latitude
10 music
a
: a step, note, or tone of a scale
b
: a line or space of the musical staff
11
: one of the divisions or intervals marked on a scale of a measuring instrument
specifically
: any of various units for measuring temperature
350 degrees Fahrenheit
12 mathematics
a
: the sum of the exponents of the variables in the term of highest degree in a polynomial, polynomial function, or polynomial equation
c
: the greatest power of the derivative of highest order in a differential equation after the equation has been rationalized (see rationalize sense 2) and cleared of fractions with respect to the derivative
to a degree
1
: to a remarkable extent : exceedingly
I felt desolate to a degree— Charlotte Brontë
2
: in a small way
to a degree he succeeded