Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'degree' carries significant meaning in various contexts, denoting a step or stage in a process, a unit of measurement, or an academic title. Its cultural importance is evident in academic traditions worldwide, as a degree symbolizes the completion of rigorous study and the acquisition of knowledge. 'Degree' in different languages showcases the richness of linguistic diversity and cultural nuances.
Translating 'degree' uncovers fascinating insights into how languages and cultures shape our understanding of education and achievement. For instance, in Spanish, a degree is 'grado', while in French, it's 'diplôme', and in German, it's 'Abschluss'. These translations not only reflect the structure of their respective languages but also echo the unique values and traditions of each culture.
Delving into the translations of 'degree' in various languages offers a captivating journey through the world's diverse linguistic and cultural landscape. Continue reading to explore more fascinating translations of this significant word.
Afrikaans | graad | ||
The Afrikaans word "graad" also means "class" or "grade". | |||
Amharic | ዲግሪ | ||
The word ዲግሪ originates from the Latin word 'gradus', meaning 'step' or 'stage' | |||
Hausa | digiri | ||
The word 'digiri' also means 'title', or 'position'. | |||
Igbo | ogo | ||
The Igbo word | |||
Malagasy | diplaoma | ||
The Malagasy word 'diplaoma' is derived from the French word 'diplôme', and can also refer to a certificate or a qualification. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | digiri | ||
The Nyanja word 'digiri' can also refer to a step or stage in a process. | |||
Shona | dhigirii | ||
"Dhigirii" can also mean a "stage" or a "level" in Shona. | |||
Somali | shahaadada | ||
The word "shahaadada" also means "graduation ceremony" or "commencement" in Somali. | |||
Sesotho | tekanyo | ||
The word 'tekanyo' was derived from the word 'teka,' which means 'to reach,' or 'to attain,' in Sesotho. | |||
Swahili | shahada | ||
Swahili "shahada" can also refer to a certificate or diploma. | |||
Xhosa | isidanga | ||
The word 'isidanga' has been used for a very long time to refer to higher education. | |||
Yoruba | ìyí | ||
"Ìyí" means "degree" in Yoruba. It also means "rank", "level", "position", or "grade". | |||
Zulu | iziqu | ||
"Iziqu" can also mean "stages, phases, levels," etc, indicating a progression from one to another. | |||
Bambara | dipilomu | ||
Ewe | ɖoƒe | ||
Kinyarwanda | impamyabumenyi | ||
Lingala | diplome | ||
Luganda | diguli | ||
Sepedi | tikrii | ||
Twi (Akan) | anoɔden | ||
Arabic | الدرجة العلمية | ||
The word "الدرجة العلمية" originally meant "step" or "stair", and it also refers to academic "rank" or "status". | |||
Hebrew | תוֹאַר | ||
תוֹאַר can refer to both an academic degree and a physical quality, often a positive one. | |||
Pashto | سند | ||
The Pashto word "سند" also means "document" or "proof" in other contexts. | |||
Arabic | الدرجة العلمية | ||
The word "الدرجة العلمية" originally meant "step" or "stair", and it also refers to academic "rank" or "status". |
Albanian | shkallë | ||
"Shkallë" can also refer to a staircase or a ladder in Albanian | |||
Basque | gradu | ||
Gradu literally means “step” in Basque, as a degree implies a step upwards. | |||
Catalan | grau | ||
The word "grau" in Catalan derives from an alternative meaning of the Latin word "gradus" for "step," and can also mean "social rank," "military rank," or "level of education." | |||
Croatian | stupanj | ||
The word "stupanj" also means "step" or "stairs" in Croatian, reflecting its physical meaning in a graduated scale. | |||
Danish | grad | ||
The Danish word "grad" not only means "degree" but also refers to the angular measure "radian". | |||
Dutch | mate | ||
The word "mate" in Dutch can also mean "friend" or "partner". | |||
English | degree | ||
The word "degree" can also refer to a unit of measurement, a rank or level, or a step in a process. | |||
French | diplôme | ||
The French word "diplôme" originates from the Greek word "δίπλωμα" (diploma), meaning "folded paper" or "writing rolled up and folded double." | |||
Frisian | graad | ||
In Frisian, the word “graad” derives from the Old Frisian word “grede,” which meant “step” or “order.” | |||
Galician | grao | ||
The Galician word "grao" likely comes from the Latin "gradus," meaning "step" or "interval," and can also refer to a rung on a ladder or a level of intensity. | |||
German | grad | ||
In German, "Grad" not only refers to an academic degree, but also to a unit of angular measurement derived from the complete circle. | |||
Icelandic | gráðu | ||
The word "gráðu" also means "grade" or "rank" in Icelandic. | |||
Irish | céim | ||
Although "céim" typically means "degree", it can also refer to a "step" or a "position". | |||
Italian | grado | ||
The Italian word "grado" can also refer to a step in a process or a rank in a hierarchical organization. | |||
Luxembourgish | grad | ||
The Luxembourgish word "Grad" can also refer to a "step" or a "stage". | |||
Maltese | grad | ||
_Grad_ also sometimes means _step_ in the sense that if you _graduate_, from a bachelor to masters _grad_ for example, then you _step up_, but it's a non-literal interpretation with no link at present in the public consciousness - only in the original etymology. | |||
Norwegian | grad | ||
The word "grad" in Norwegian can also mean "yard" or "farm" and is cognate with the English word "garden" | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | grau | ||
The word 'grau' in Portuguese can also mean 'step', 'level', 'intensity', or 'grade'. | |||
Scots Gaelic | ceum | ||
The Old Gaelic word ceum, meaning 'step', is related to the English word 'centimetre', which also derives from the idea of steps. | |||
Spanish | la licenciatura | ||
The word "la licenciatura" literally means "the license to teach". | |||
Swedish | grad | ||
Unlike in English, the Swedish word | |||
Welsh | gradd | ||
The term "gradd" can also refer to a step or a stage in a process or journey. |
Belarusian | ступені | ||
In Old Church Slavonic, the word "ступені" meant "steps" or "ladders". | |||
Bosnian | stupanj | ||
'Stupanj' is the name of a dance that's unique to the region of Buško Blato in Bosnia and Herzegovina. | |||
Bulgarian | степен | ||
Степен can also refer to a "power" in mathematics, like in the idiom "to raise to the power of" (възвеждам на степен). | |||
Czech | stupeň | ||
The Czech word "stupeň" shares a root with the word "stoupnout" (ascend), indicating a rise or increase. | |||
Estonian | kraadi | ||
Estonian word "kraadi" is derived from Latin "gradus", meaning "step" or "level". | |||
Finnish | tutkinto | ||
Tutkinto derives from the verb "tutkia", meaning "to investigate" or "to study", reflecting its connection to the process of academic inquiry and knowledge acquisition. | |||
Hungarian | fokozat | ||
The word "fokozat" in Hungarian also means "rank" or "stage". | |||
Latvian | grāds | ||
The word "grāds" also refers to a unit of angle measurement equal to 1/360 of a circle. | |||
Lithuanian | laipsnį | ||
The term "laipsnį" can also refer to a grade in a classification system or as part of a measuring scale | |||
Macedonian | степен | ||
The word "степен" can also mean "power" or "authority" in Macedonian. | |||
Polish | stopień | ||
The word "stopień" in Polish can also refer to a step, rank, or level. | |||
Romanian | grad | ||
In Romanian, 'grad' also refers to a fortress or stronghold, a meaning it shares with its Slavic cognate 'grad'. | |||
Russian | степень | ||
Russian "степень" can also mean "extent", "rank", or "grade" | |||
Serbian | степена | ||
The word "степена" also denotes "step" in Serbian, which relates to it being a rank or level. | |||
Slovak | stupňa | ||
Stupňa (degree) comes from Latin stem *grad-, cognate to Old Slavonic *gordъ (proud), or from the Germanic *stapan (to step), related to English step, staple. | |||
Slovenian | stopnjo | ||
In Slovenian, the word “stopnja” means “step” and “degree” and shares a root with the word “stop” (“foot”). | |||
Ukrainian | ступінь | ||
The word "ступінь" in Ukrainian also means "power" and "level". |
Bengali | ডিগ্রি | ||
"ডিগ্রি" শব্দটির উৎপত্তি ল্যাটিন শব্দ "gradus" থেকে এসেছে, যার অর্থ "ধাপ" বা "পদক্ষেপ"। | |||
Gujarati | ડિગ્રી | ||
The Gujarati word ડિગ્રી 'degree' comes from the Latin word 'gradus,' meaning 'step' or 'grade'. | |||
Hindi | डिग्री | ||
The term "डिग्री" in Hindi comes from the Persian/Arabic word "daraja," which means "step, grade". | |||
Kannada | ಪದವಿ | ||
ಪದವಿ is also used informally to refer to the graduation ceremony or the academic hood conferred in such ceremonies. | |||
Malayalam | ഡിഗ്രി | ||
The word "ഡിഗ്രി" can also mean "a division of a circle, usually 360 in number." in English. | |||
Marathi | पदवी | ||
The word "पदवी" (degree) in Marathi also means a position or rank. | |||
Nepali | डिग्री | ||
डिग्री can also mean 'category' as in 'first degree murder' or 'a point on a scale' as in 'a degree of fever'. | |||
Punjabi | ਡਿਗਰੀ | ||
ਡਿਗਰੀ (degree) is cognate with Sanskrit 'degre' and is also used to refer to a step or stage in a process. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | උපාධිය | ||
The word උපාධිය derives from the Sanskrit word उपाधि (upādhi) which means 'support, foundation, basis'. | |||
Tamil | பட்டம் | ||
The word 'pattam' (degree) in Tamil also refers to a title or rank given to individuals for their achievements or status. | |||
Telugu | డిగ్రీ | ||
The word "డిగ్రీ" in Telugu comes from the Sanskrit word "dṛś" meaning "to see" or "to know". | |||
Urdu | ڈگری | ||
The Urdu word "ڈگری" (degree) is derived from the Arabic word "درجہ" (darajah), which means rank, position or step |
Chinese (Simplified) | 度 | ||
"度" can also refer to a unit of time, often translated as "moment" in English. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 度 | ||
度 also means the amount of alcohol in alcoholic drinks. | |||
Japanese | 程度 | ||
The word "程度" (degree) is also used to refer to the level or extent of something, such as the difficulty of a task or the seriousness of an illness. | |||
Korean | 정도 | ||
"정도" can also mean "level", "extent", or "quantity" | |||
Mongolian | зэрэг | ||
"Зэрэг" can also mean "quality" or "status" in Mongolian. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ဒီဂရီ | ||
ဒီဂရီ is the Burmese word for degree, which derives from an old Mon word meaning "measure". It can also refer to a level or stage in a process, or to a unit of angular measurement. |
Indonesian | gelar | ||
The word "gelar" in Indonesian has two meanings, a higher education degree and a noble title | |||
Javanese | drajad | ||
The Javanese word "drajad" can also refer to the height or elevation of a place. | |||
Khmer | ដឺក្រេ | ||
The word "ដឺក្រេ" can also refer to a level of education or a rank in a hierarchy. | |||
Lao | ລະດັບ | ||
ລົດ + ັບ = ลงไป + เอาขึ้น = ขั้นตอน, ลำดับ | |||
Malay | ijazah | ||
Ijazah may also mean 'permission', 'license', 'warrant', 'diploma', 'certificate', 'permit', or 'patent' depending on its context. | |||
Thai | ระดับ | ||
The word "ระดับ" also means "level" or "class" and is related to the word "เรียบ" (flat). | |||
Vietnamese | trình độ | ||
"Trình độ" means "level" or "standard" and comes from the Chinese word "成度" (chéngdù), meaning "degree" or "extent". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | degree | ||
Azerbaijani | dərəcə | ||
The word "dərəcə" in Azerbaijani can also refer to a position or rank, or a level or stage of development. | |||
Kazakh | дәрежесі | ||
The word "дәрежесі" ultimately comes from the Proto-Turkic word "tarığ" meaning "order" or "rank". | |||
Kyrgyz | даража | ||
"Даража" (degree) in Kyrgyz also refers to a rank or status in society. | |||
Tajik | дараҷа | ||
"Дараҷа" can also mean "grade", "level", "class", "rank", or "status" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | derejesi | ||
Uzbek | daraja | ||
The word "daraja" can also mean "rank", "class", or "status" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | ئۇنۋان | ||
Hawaiian | kekelē | ||
"Kekelē" can also mean "level", "amount", or "position". | |||
Maori | tohu | ||
In Māori, the word "tohu" can also mean a sign, mark, or indication. | |||
Samoan | tikeri | ||
In Samoan, "tikeri" also refers to the graduation ceremony or the academic transcript of a graduate. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | degree | ||
In Tagalog, 'degree' can also mean 'level', 'step', or 'grade' |
Aymara | kraru | ||
Guarani | jehupive | ||
Esperanto | grado | ||
The word "grado" can also mean "step" or "rank" in Esperanto. | |||
Latin | gradus | ||
The Latin word "gradus" is related to "gredior" (to walk) and originally meant a step or staircase. |
Greek | βαθμός | ||
Derived from the Greek "βαθμός" (badhmós) meaning "step" or "grade," it retains its mathematical sense in English and other Romance languages. | |||
Hmong | degree | ||
In Hmong, the word 'degree' can also refer to a level of education or a unit of measurement for temperature. | |||
Kurdish | derece | ||
The word "derece" in Kurdish has several meanings, including "rank", "level", "amount", and "measure." | |||
Turkish | derece | ||
In Ottoman Turkish, derece also meant "step" or "grade" and was used in the context of military ranks. | |||
Xhosa | isidanga | ||
The word 'isidanga' has been used for a very long time to refer to higher education. | |||
Yiddish | גראַד | ||
The Yiddish word "גראַד" ("grad") derives from the German "Grad" and can also mean "straight" or "direct". | |||
Zulu | iziqu | ||
"Iziqu" can also mean "stages, phases, levels," etc, indicating a progression from one to another. | |||
Assamese | ডিগ্ৰী | ||
Aymara | kraru | ||
Bhojpuri | डिग्री | ||
Dhivehi | މިންވަރު | ||
Dogri | डिग्री | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | degree | ||
Guarani | jehupive | ||
Ilocano | grado | ||
Krio | kayn we | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | پلە | ||
Maithili | डिग्री | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯡ | ||
Mizo | degree | ||
Oromo | digirii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଡିଗ୍ରୀ | ||
Quechua | titulo | ||
Sanskrit | उपाधि | ||
Tatar | дәрәҗәсе | ||
Tigrinya | መዐቀኒ | ||
Tsonga | xiyimo | ||