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