gradation

Etymology

Borrowed from French gradation.

noun

1. A sequence of gradual, successive stages; a systematic progression.
2. A passing by small degrees from one tone or shade, as of color, to another.
   A decade ago, the British department-store chain John Lewis built itself a long warehouse, painted in gradations of sky blue. November 21 2019, Samanth Subramanian, “How our home delivery habit reshaped the world”, in The Guardian
3. The act of gradating or arranging in grades.
4. Any degree or relative position in an order or series.
   Two distinct types of lupus erythematosus are recognized: [1] chronic or discoid, which is essentially a skin lesion, and [2] severe systemic, designated as acute. Between the two types are many gradations to which the term subacute has been applied. 1954-02-15, Henry E. Michelson, “The Syndrome of Lupus Erythematosus”, in Modern Medicine, volume 22, number 4, Minneapolis, Minn.: Modern Medicine Publications, Inc., page 96
5. (countable) A calibration marking.
6. (music) A gradual change within one parameter, or an overlapping of two blocks of sound.
7. (music) A diatonic succession of chords.
8. (phonetics) Ablaut.

verb

1. (transitive) To form with gradations.