grau

[ɡɾaʊ̯]
nounmasculinepl: graus
degree
1. A unit of measurement of temperature
The temperature today is 30 degrees Celsius.
A temperatura hoje é de 30 graus Celsius.
2. A unit of measurement of angles or arcs in geometry
A right angle measures 90 degrees.
Um ângulo reto mede 90 graus.
3. A level, stage, or rank in a hierarchy or scale
He achieved a high degree of success in his career.
Ele alcançou um alto grau de sucesso em sua carreira.
4. An academic qualification or diploma awarded by a university
She obtained her degree in Medicine last year.
Ela obteve seu grau em Medicina no ano passado.
5. Intensity or extent of something
The degree of difficulty of the exam was moderate.
O grau de dificuldade da prova era moderado.
6. A step or rung on a ladder or staircase
He climbed up several degrees on the ladder.
Ele subiu vários graus na escada.
In Brazil, 'grau' is extensively used in academic contexts to refer to university degrees (bacharelado, mestrado, doutorado). The term is also culturally significant in skateboarding slang, where 'dar um grau' means to perform a wheelie or trick. In legal contexts, Brazilian Portuguese uses ordinal numbers with 'grau' to denote court levels (primeiro grau = first instance, second grau = appellate level).
Synonyms / Sinônimos
nívelpatamarestágiofaseintensidadediploma

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
grau
Standard usage across all contexts
Rio de Janeiro
grau
Standard usage; sometimes informal shorthand 'grau' for measuring skateboard/surfing tricks
São Paulo
grau
Standard usage in academic and scientific contexts
Portugal
grau
Identical usage; 'diploma' more commonly used for academic degree

Related Words

grauaçãogradualgraduaçãograduadotermômetroângulo

Related Idioms & Phrases

em grau máximo
em grande grau
grau de parentesco
em primeiro grau
em segundo grau
grau de escolaridade
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