A surveyor's instrument for determining grades.

plural of gradienter

plural of gradient

Moving by steps; walking. / Rising or descending by regular degrees of inclination. / Adapted for walking, as the feet of certain birds.

A slope or incline. / A rate of inclination or declination of a slope.

By means of a gradient

(meteorology) A horizontal wind velocity tangent to the contour line of a constant pressure surface (or to the isobar of a geopotential surface) at or above 2,500 feet (762 meters).

The rate of decrease (gradient) of pressure in space at a fixed time. The term is sometimes used to denote simply the magnitude of the gradient of the pressure field.

A post or stake indicating by its height or by marks on it the grade of a railroad, highway, embankment, etc. at that point.

(rail transport) The steepest uphill gradient in one direction on a section of railway line, which determines the load that can be pulled by one locomotive over that section, according to the power rating of the locomotive. A typical ruling gradient could be 1:50 (2%). The ruling gradient can differ in the other direction on the same section.