Definition of "gradient" []

• A rate of inclination; a slope. (noun)
• An ascending or descending part; an incline. (noun)
• Physics The rate at which a physical quantity, such as temperature or pressure, increases or decreases relative to change in a given variable, especially distance. (noun)
• Mathematics A vector having coordinate components that are the partial derivatives of a function with respect to its variables. (noun)
• Biology A series of progressively increasing or decreasing differences in the growth rate, metabolism, or physiological activity of a cell, organ, or organism. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "And beneath this gradient is a scale of inborn ability, which is what gives the syllogism its unique potency."
• "I also think it might look a little strange if the blue-to-red gradient is the same."
• "(Most commonly however, the word gradient is used as applying to rates of conversion in terms of space.)"