gradation
noun /ɡrəˈdeɪʃn/
/ɡrəˈdeɪʃn/
- [countable, uncountable] (formal) any of the small changes or levels that something is divided into; the process or result of something changing gradually
- gradations of colour
- gradation in size
- (also graduation)[countable] a mark showing a division on a scale
- the gradations on a thermometer
Word Originmid 16th cent.: from Latin gradatio(n-), based on gradus ‘step’.