Collins English-English Dictionary

degree [dɪ'griː]

1. 1. n a unit of temperature on a specified scale ° - See also Celsius scale Fahrenheit scale

   the normal body temperature of man is 36.8 degrees Celsius

2. 2. n a measure of angle equal to one three-hundred-and-sixtieth of the angle traced by one complete revolution of a line about one of its ends ° - See also minute second - Compare radian

3. 3. n a point or line defined by units of latitude and/or longitude °

4. 4. n a unit on any of several scales of measurement, as for alcohol content or specific gravity °

5. 5. n a stage in a scale of relative amount or intensity

   a high degree of competence

6. 6. n an academic award conferred by a university or college on successful completion of a course or as an honorary distinction (honorary degree)

7. 7. n any of three categories of seriousness of a burn - See burn

8. 8. n (in the US) any of the categories into which a crime is divided according to its seriousness

   first-degree murder

9. 9. n [genealogy] a step in a line of descent, used as a measure of the closeness of a blood relationship

10. 10. n [grammar] any of the forms of an adjective used to indicate relative amount or intensity: in English they are positive, comparative, and superlative

11. 11. n [music] any note of a diatonic scale relative to the other notes in that scale

    D is the second degree of the scale of C major

12. 12. n a unit of latitude or longitude, divided into 60 minutes, used to define points on the earth's surface or on the celestial sphere

13. 13. n [maths] the highest power or the sum of the powers of any term in a polynomial or by itself

    x⁴ + x + 3 and xyz² are of the fourth degree

14. 14. n the greatest power of the highest order derivative in a differential equation

15. 15. n [obsolete] a step; rung

16. 16. n [Archaic] a stage in social status or rank

17. 17. n See frost

18. 18. n [Etymology] C13: from Old French degre, from Latin de- + gradus step, grade