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   gradual

   /ˈɡradʒʊəl/

   adjective

   • 1. taking place or progressing slowly or by degrees: "the gradual introduction of new methods" Similar slowmoderatemeasuredunhurriedrestrainedcautiouscircumspectunspectacularpiecemealstep by steplittle by littlebit by bitprogressivesuccessivecontinuoussystematicregularsteadyevenconsistentuniforminformal:softly-softlyOpposite suddenabrupt
   • 2. (of a slope) not steep or abrupt. Similar gentlenot steepmoderateslighteasysubtleimperceptibleOpposite steep

   noun

   • 1. (in the Western Christian Church) a response sung or recited between the Epistle and Gospel in the Mass.
   • ▪ a book of plainsong for the Mass.

   Word Origin late Middle English: from medieval Latin gradualis, from Latin gradus ‘step’. The original sense of the adjective was ‘arranged in degrees’; the noun refers to the altar steps in a church, from which the antiphons were sung.

   Derivatives

   • 1. gradualness noun

   Scrabble Points: 9

   • G

     2

   • R

     1

   • A

     1

   • D

     2

   • U

     1

   • A

     1

   • L

     1

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