Plural of graduation; ceremonies where students receive degrees, or the process of awarding degrees; also, a series of graduated marks on a measuring scale.
From 'graduation' (from 'graduate', from Latin 'graduare', to step forward) plus plural '-s'. The term evolved from academic contexts to also describe measurement markings.
The graduation marks on a thermometer or ruler are called graduations because they're literally 'steps'—this shows how the Latin root 'gradus' (step) appears in totally different contexts from schools to science!
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