To graduate means to complete a course of study and receive a diploma or degree. A graduate is a person who has finished such a program.
“Graduate” comes from Medieval Latin “graduatus,” meaning one who has been given a degree, from “gradus,” step. Earning a degree was seen as stepping up to a new level of learning or status.
‘Grad’ and ‘grade’ share the same root—both about steps and levels. Graduation ceremonies are full of little ‘step’ symbols: walking across a stage, moving a tassel, even stepping into a new kind of clothing.
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