What does "gradient" mean?
Gradient: Rising or descending by regular degrees of inclination; as, the gradient line of a railroad.
Additional senses
- 2.Adapted for walking, as the feet of certain birsds.
- 3.The rate of regular or graded ascent or descent in a road; grade.
- 4.A part of a road which slopes upward or downward; a portion of a way not level; a grade.
- 5.The rate of increase or decrease of a variable magnitude, or the curve which represents it; as, a thermometric gradient. Gradient post, a post or stake indicating by its height or by marks on it the grade of a railroad, highway, or embankment, etc., at that spot.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00