 |
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Gradient \Gra"di*ent\, adjective [L. gradiens, p. pr. of gradi to step, to go. See {Grade}.]
1. Moving by steps; walking; as, gradient automata. --Wilkins.
2. Rising or descending by regular degrees of inclination; as, the gradient line of a railroad.
3. Adapted for walking, as the feet of certain birds.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Gradient \Gra"di*ent\, noun
1. The rate of regular or graded ascent or descent in a road; grade.
2. A part of a road which slopes upward or downward; a portion of a way not level; a grade.
3. The rate of increase or decrease of a variable magnitude, or the curve which represents it; as, a thermometric gradient.
4. (Chem., Biochem.) The variation of the concentration of a chemical substance in solution through some linear path; also called concentration gradient; -- usually measured in concentration units per unit distance. Concentration gradients are created naturally, e.g. by the diffusion of a substance from a point of high concentration toward regions of lower concentration within a body of liquid; in laboratory techniques they may be made artificially. [PJC]
{gradient maker} (Biochem.) a device which creates a concentration gradient in a solution within some apparatus; -- used, e. g., for separation of biochemical substances. [PJC]
{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.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
del \del\ n. (Math.) a differential operator which, operating on a function of several variables, gives the sum of the partial derivatives of the function with respect to the three orthogonal spatial coordinates; -- also called the {gradient} or {grad}. It is represented by an inverted Greek capital delta ([nabla]), and is thus because of its shape also called {nabla}, meaning harp in Hebrew. [PJC]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
gradient
noun
1: a graded change in the magnitude of some physical quantity or dimension
2: the property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the horizontal; "a five-degree gradient" [syn: {slope}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
34 Moby Thesaurus words for "gradient": bank, bevel, bezel, chute, easy slope, fleam, gentle slope, glacis, grade, hanging gardens, helicline, hillside, inclination, incline, inclined plane, launching ramp, lean, leaning, pitch, ramp, rise, rising, scarp, shelving beach, side, slant, slope, steep slope, stiff climb, talus, tilt, uprise, uprising, vertical height
 |
Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |