GRADATORY

gradational, gradatory, graduated

(adjective) taking place by degrees

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

gradatory (plural gradatories)

(architecture) A series of steps from a cloister into a church.

Adjective

gradatory (comparative more gradatory, superlative most gradatory)

Proceeding step by step; gradual.

• A. Seward

(zoology) Suitable for walking; said of the limbs of an animal when adapted for walking on land.

Source: Wiktionary


Grad"a*to*ry, a. Etym: [See Grade.]

1. Proceeding step by step, or by gradations; gradual. Could we have seen [Macbeth's] crimes darkening on their progress . . . could this gradatory apostasy have been shown us. A. Seward.

2. (Zoöl.)

Definition: Suitable for walking; -- said of the limbs of an animal when adapted for walking on land.

Grad"a*to*ry, n. Etym: [Cf. LL. gradatarium.] (Arch.)

Definition: A series of steps from a cloister into a church.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

4 April 2025

GUILLOTINE

(verb) kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine; “The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest collection of coffee pots belongs to Robert Dahl (Germany) and consists of 27,390 coffee pots as of 2 November 2012, in Rövershagen, Germany.

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