From Old French _degré_ (French: _degré_).

* enPR: dĭgrē', IPA(key): /dɪˈɡɹiː/

DEGREE (_plural_ DEGREES) * (obsolete outside heraldry) A step on a set of stairs; the rung of a ladder. [from 13th c.] * An individual step, or stage, in any process or scale of values. [from 13th c.] * A stage of rank or privilege; social standing. [from 13th c.] * 1526, William Tyndale, trans. _Bible_, Luke XX: Master, we knowe that thou sayest, and teachest ryght, nether considerest thou eny mannes DEGRE, but techest the waye of god truely. * (genealogy) A ‘step’ in genealogical descent. [from 14th c.] * 2002, Colin Jones, _The Great Nation_, Penguin 2003, page 140: 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. * (now rare) One's relative state or experience; way, manner. [from 14th c.] * 1851, Herman Melville, _Moby-Dick_: 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. * The amount that an entity possesses a certain property; relative intensity, extent. [from 14th c.] _To what DEGREE do the two accounts of the accident concur?_ * 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.) [from 14th c.] _She has two bachelor's DEGREES and is studying towards a master's DEGREE._ * (geometry) A unit of measurement of angle equal to 1/360 of a circle's circumference. [from 14th c.] _A right angle is a ninety DEGREE angle._ _Most humans have a field of vision of almost 180 DEGREES._ * (physics) A unit of measurement of temperature on any of several scales, such as Celsius or Fahrenheit. [from 18th c.] _90 DEGREES Fahrenheit is equivalent to 32.2 DEGREES Celsius._ _Water boils at 100 DEGREES Celsius._ * (mathematics) The sum of the exponents of a term; the order of a polynomial. [from 18th c.] * (graph theory) The number of edges that a vertex takes part in; a valency. * (surveying) The curvature of a circular arc, expressed as the angle subtended by a fixed length of arc or chord. SYNONYMS * (unit of angle): ° * (unit of temperature): ° DERIVED TERMS COORDINATE TERMS * scale USAGE NOTES * A person who is engaged in a course of study leading to the earning of a degree can be described (in the present progressive tense) as "doing a degree" in British English, and as "getting a degree" in American English. For example, in American English, _"She is currently GETTING her master's degree at State University."_ In British English, _"I am still confused about when to use 'an' instead of 'a'. Is it an hour or a hour, and if someone is DOING a master's degree in arts, is it an MA or a MA?"_ (Ask Oxford.Com - Ask the Experts - Frequently Asked Questions (Grammar)). TRANSLATIONS