degree

noun

1. a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality"a moderate grade of intelligence"
2. a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process"a remarkable degree of frankness"
3. an award conferred by a college or university signifying that the recipient has satisfactorily completed a course of study"he earned his degree at Princeton summa cum laude"
4. a measure for arcs and angles"there are 360 degrees in a circle"
5. the highest power of a term or variable
6. a unit of temperature on a specified scale"the game was played in spite of the 40-degree temperature"
7. the seriousness of something (e.g., a burn or crime)"murder in the second degree"