Main Entry:

¹grad·u·al

Pronunciation:

\ˈgra-jə-wəl, -jəl, ˈgraj-wəl\

Function:

noun

Usage:

often capitalized

Etymology:

Middle English, from Medieval Latin graduale, from Latin gradus step; from its being sung on the steps of the altar

Date:

15th century

1 : a book containing the choral parts of the Mass 2 : a pair of verses (as from the Psalms) proper after the Epistle in the Mass