degree的词源

英文词源

degree: degree: [13] Etymologically, degree means ‘step down’, a sense revealed more clearly in its relative degrade [14]. It comes via Old French degre from Vulgar Latin *dēgradus, a compound noun formed from the prefix dē- ‘down’ and gradus ‘step’ (source of English gradual and a wide range of other words). The word’s modern meanings, such as ‘academic rank’ and ‘unit of temperature’, come from an underlying abstract notion of a hierarchy of steps or ranks. Degrade represents a parallel but distinct formation, originally coined as ecclesiastical Latin dēgradāre and passed into English via Old French degrader.
=> degrade, gradual, progress
degree (n.): early 13c., from Old French degré (12c.) "a step (of a stair), pace, degree (of relationship), academic degree; rank, status, position," said to be from Vulgar Latin *degradus "a step," from Late Latin degredare, from Latin de- "down" (see de-) + gradus "step" (see grade (n.)).

Most modern senses date from Middle English, from notion of a hierarchy of steps. Meaning "a grade of crime" is 1670s; that of "a unit of temperature" is from 1727. The pision of the circle into 360 degrees was known in Babylon and Egypt. It is perhaps from the daily motion of the sun through the zodiac in the course of a year.

de-, 向下。-gree, 走，层级，词源同grade.原指阶梯，台阶，后词义抽象化指程度，层级。

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：degree 词源，degree 含义。

它和音似单词grade（年级）同源，建议串记，当你升到高年级时，离学位也就不远了；其次，de-为前缀“下”，词根-gree-指“走”，字面义“向下走，走下去”；得到学士学位之后升硕士学位，以及从低年级升到高年级，都是一步一个脚印，坚持走下去的结果。