degree

noun

1. 1

   a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

   a moderate grade of intelligence

   a high level of care is required

2. 2

   the seriousness of something (e.g., a burn or crime)

   murder in the second degree

   a second degree burn

3. 3

   the highest power of a term or variable

4. 4

   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

5. 5

   a measure for arcs and angles

   there are 360 degrees in a circle

6. 6

   a unit of temperature on a specified scale

   the game was played in spite of the 40-degree temperature

7. 7

   a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process

   a remarkable degree of frankness

   at what stage are the social sciences?