adjective

Etymology: L gradiens (gen. gradientis), prp. of gradi, to step: see grade

noun

1. 1. a slope, as of a road or railroad
   2. the degree of such slope
2. Biol. a gradation in rate of growth, metabolism, etc. in an organism, growing part, or developing embryo
3. ☆ Math. a vector pointing in the direction of the most rapid increase of a function and having coordinates that are the partial derivatives of the function
4. Physics the rate of change of a physical quantity, as temperature or pressure, with distance