degree [ME] The source of degree is a French word based on Latin de- ‘down’ and gradus ‘step’ source of *grade. Early senses of the word include ‘step, tier’, ‘rank’, and ‘relative state’. The use of degree for an academic qualification came from the medieval Mastership or Doctorate, which was attained in stages or degrees. The ‘step’ sense is found in the geometrical use for divisions of a circle [LME], measurement of heat [E18th], and in the expression by degrees [M16th] or step by step.