Grade Meaning
/ɡɹeɪd/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA rating.
nounPerformance on a test or other evaluation(s), expressed by a number, letter, or other symbol; a score.
Sentence Examples
What grade are you in?
What grade is your sister in?
The skit was presented by fifth grade students.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She was happy to receive a high ____ on her final exam.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He was very happy to receive a high ____ on his difficult math exam after studying hard for several weeks.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French grade (“a grade, degree”), from Latin gradus (“a step, pace, degree”), from Proto-Italic *graðus, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰradʰ-, *gʰredʰ- (“to walk, go”). Doublet of gradus. Cognate with Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌹𐌸𐍃 (griþs, “step, grade”), Bavarian Gritt (“step, stride”), Lithuanian gri̇̀diju (“to go, wander”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"There are a lot of varieties of diatomaceous earth, so when you are shopping, be sure to get the right stuff! Make sure that you get food grade diatomaceous earth. Some people make 3% of the food they eat be diatomaceous earth."
— 1986–2012, paul wheaton permaculture, “Diatomaceous Earth (food grade): bug killer you can eat!”, in richsoil.com, retrieved 17 Mar 2014:
"The whistle of the shot as it cuts the leaves / Of the maples around the church’s eaves— / And the grade of hatchets, fiercely thrown, / On wigwam-log, and tree, and stone."
— 1836, John Greenleaf Whittier, Mogg Megone, A Poem, →OCLC:
"The shoulders are graded and the verges cleared well back to lessen the chances of hitting stray stock."
— 2000, Bob Foster, Birdum or Bust!, Henley Beach, SA: Seaview Press, page 129:
"He has rightly observed that while -ísimo superlatives are typically prenominal, adjectives graded with the intensifier muy "very" are characteristically postnominal."
— 1999, Jon Franco, Alazne Landa, Juan Martín, Grammatical Analyses in Basque and Romance Linguistics: Papers in Honor of Mario Saltarelli, John Benjamins Publishing, →ISBN, page 65:
"Adjectives graded for comparative and superlative degree can function both attributively and predicatively. Most descriptive adjectives are gradable: As modifiers of a noun Have you got a larger size? […]"
— 2014, Angela Downing, English Grammar: A University Course, Routledge, →ISBN, page 430:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She was happy to receive a high ____ on her final exam.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He was very happy to receive a high ____ on his difficult math exam after studying hard for several weeks.