Definitions for: Gradual


[n] (Roman Catholic) an antiphon (usually from the Book of Psalms) immediately after the epistle at Mass
[adj] proceeding in small stages; "a gradual increase in prices"
[adj] of a topographical gradient; not steep or abrupt; "a gradual slope"



Webster (1913) Definition: Grad"u*al"; a. [Cf; F. graduel. See Grade, and cf.
Gradual, n.]
Proceeding by steps or degrees; advancing, step by step, as
in ascent or descent or from one state to another; regularly
progressive; slow; as, a gradual increase of knowledge; a
gradual decline.

Creatures animate with gradual life Of growth, sense,
reason, all summed up in man. --Milton.


Grad"u*al, n. [LL. graduale a gradual (in sense 1),
fr. L. gradus step: cf. F. graduel. See Grade, and cf.
Grail a gradual.]
1. (R. C. Ch.)
(a) An antiphon or responsory after the epistle, in the
Mass, which was sung on the steps, or while the deacon
ascended the steps.
(b) A service book containing the musical portions of the
Mass.

2. A series of steps. [Obs.] --Dryden.

Synonyms: bit-by-bit, easy, gentle, gradational, gradatory, graduated, in small stages, piecemeal, sloping, step-by-step, stepwise

Antonyms: steep, sudden

See Also: antiphon, antiphony, inclined, slow

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