gradient

noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɡɹeɪdiənt/

Etymology: From Latin gradiēns, present participle of gradior (“to step, to walk”).

Moving by steps; walking.
“movable and Gradient Automata”
Rising or descending by regular degrees of inclination.
“the gradient line of a railroad”
Adapted for walking, as the feet of certain birds.
Using the gradient to solve a problem.

Etymology: From Latin gradiēns, present participle of gradior (“to step, to walk”).

A slope or incline.
A rate of inclination or declination of a slope.
“Just beyond that station the first step is encountered and the rack resorted to, taking the line on a gradient of 1 in 9 over a steeply inclined bridge and through a spiral tunnel.”
The ratio of the rates of change of a dependent variable and an independent variable, the slope of a curve's tangent.
The rate at which a physical quantity increases or decreases relative to change in a given variable, especially distance.
A differential operator that maps each point of a scalar field to a vector pointed in the direction of the greatest rate of change of the scalar. Notation for a scalar field φ: ∇φ
A gradual change in color; a color gradient; gradation.