Definition of "degree"

degree

/dɪˈɡɹiː/

noun
plural degrees
1. A stage of proficiency or qualification in a course of study, now especially an award bestowed by a university or, in some countries, a college, as a certification of academic achievement. (In the United States, can include secondary schools.)
2. (geometry) A unit of measurement of angle equal to 1⁄360 of a circle's circumference.
3. (physics) A unit of measurement of temperature on any of several scales, such as Celsius or Fahrenheit.
4. (algebra) The sum of the exponents of a term; the order of a polynomial.
5. (algebra, field theory) The dimensionality of a field extension.
6. (graph theory) The number of edges that a vertex takes part in; a valency.
7. (logic) The number of logical connectives in a formula.
8. (surveying) The curvature of a circular arc, expressed as the angle subtended by a fixed length of arc or chord.
9. (geography) A unit of measurement of latitude and longitude which together identify a location on the Earth's surface.
10. (grammar) Any of the stages (like positive, comparative, superlative, elative) in the comparison of an adjective or an adverb.
11. (obsolete outside heraldry) A step on a set of stairs; the rung of a ladder.
12. An individual step, or stage, in any process or scale of values.
13. A stage of rank or privilege; social standing.
  Quotations
  And they axed hym ſayinge: Maſter / we knowe that thou ſayest / and teacheſt ryght / nether conſidereſt thou eny mãnes degre / but teacheſt the waye of god truely.
  1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], The Gospell off S. Luke xx:, folio cx, recto
  But when Adam delued, and Eue ſpan,VVho was then a Gentleman.Brethren, brethren, it were better to haue this communitie,Then to haue this difference in degrees:The landlord his rent, the lawyer his fees.So quickly the poore mans ſubſtance is ſpent […]
  1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act I
14. (genealogy) A ‘step’ in genealogical descent.
  Quotations
  Louis created the École militaire in Paris in 1751, in which 500 scholarships were designated for noblemen able to prove four degrees of noble status.
  2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 140
15. (now rare) One's relative state or experience; way, manner.
  Quotations
  If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.
  1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
16. The amount that an entity possesses a certain property; relative intensity, extent.
  Quotations
  In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.
  1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd.
  Then there are the sums that Abramovich would be permitted to invest within the parameters of the profit and sustainability rules – £105m over a rolling three-year period. That, plainly, has stopped and so, to repeat, it is imperative that the transfer of ownership happens with a degree of speed.
  March 11 2022, David Hytner, “Chelsea are in crisis but there is no will to leave club on their knees”, in The Guardian‎