gradation
noun
[ ɡrəˈdeɪʃ(ə)n ]
• a scale or series of successive changes, stages, or degrees.
• "the Act fails to provide both a clear and defensible gradation of offences"
Similar:
range,
scale,
gamut,
spectrum,
sweep,
compass,
span,
progression,
sequence,
succession,
series,
variety,
hierarchy,
ladder,
ranking,
pecking order,
• (in historical linguistics) another term for ablaut.
Origin:
mid 16th century: from Latin gradatio(n- ), based on gradus ‘step’.
