/
ˈgreɪdɪənt/
n.
- a sloping part of a road or railway.
▸the degree of such a slope, expressed as change of height divided by distance travelled.
▸Mathematics the degree of steepness of a graph.
- Physics a change in the magnitude of a property (e.g. temperature) observed in passing from one point or moment to another.
Etymology
C19: from grade, on the pattern of salient.