Grad

See also: grad, grád, gråd, and grąd

English

Alternative forms

• grad

Etymology

From Russian Град (Grad, “codename for a type of multiple rocket launcher”), from Russian град (grad, “hail”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹɑd/, /ˈɡɹæd/
• Rhymes: -ɑd, -æd
• Homophone: grad

Noun

Grad (plural Grads)

1. A type of Soviet artillery multiple rocket launcher, or a rocket fired by this.
   • 1989: Jane’s Defence Weekly, v 12, Coulsdon, UK: Jane’s, p 1050:

     It supplements the 220 mm BM-22 Uragan (‘Hurricane’) and 122 mm BM-21 Grad (‘Hail’) MRLs, already in service.

   • 1998, Field Artillery Association (U.S.), Field Artillery, page 7:

     The MRL systems Smerch, Uragan, and Grad are designed to destroy concentrations of personnel and various vehicles at distances up to 70 kilometers.

   • 2001, Olga Oliker, Russia’s Chechen Wars 1994-2000: Lessons from Urban Combat, Santa Monica, California: Rand, page 29:

     The Russians fought back with Grad rocket-launcher salvos and mortar attacks (they also made some use of armor).

   • 2009, Rockets from Gaza: Harm to Civilians from Palestinian Armed Groups’ Rocket Attacks, New York: Human Rights Watch, page 22:

     “[w]e saw Hamas come and put up rocket launchers and fire. We could tell they were Grads by the sound, which is louder and deeper than that of Qassams.”

Synonyms

• BM-21
• Katyusha

Translations

rocket launcher

• Azerbaijani: Qrad
• Belarusian: Град m (Hrad)
• Bulgarian: Град m (Grad)
• Japanese: グラート (Gurādo)
• Russian: Град m (Grad)
• Ukrainian: Град m (Hrad)

Anagrams

• Gard, darg, drag, gard

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French grade (“a grade, degree”), from Latin gradus (“a step”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡʁaːt/

• Audio (Austria):

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: Grat, grad
• Rhymes: -aːt

Noun

Grad m (strong, genitive Grades or Grads, plural Grade or Grad)

1. degree

   0 Grad Celsius (0°C) sind 273,15 Kelvin.

   Zero degrees Celsius (0°C) are 273.15 Kelvin.

Usage notes

• When used as a measuring unit (e.g. for temperature), the word always has the unchanged plural Grad: zwei Grad wärmer – "two degrees warmer"; einige Grad kühler – "some degrees cooler".
• When not used as a measuring unit, the plural form is Grade: Die soziale Ungleichheit hat bisher ungekannte Grade erreicht. – "Social inequality has reached degrees previously unknown." This usage is less common than in English.

Declension

Declension of Grad [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Grad	die	Grade, Grad
genitive	eines	des	Grades, Grads	der	Grade, Grad
dative	einem	dem	Grad, Grade1	den	Graden, Grad
accusative	einen	den	Grad	die	Grade, Grad

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• Breitengrad
• Grad Celsius
• Gradmesser
• Längengrad
• Quadratgrad
• Steigerungsgrad
• Vergleichungsgrad

 

Further reading

• “Grad” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Grad” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Grad” in Duden online

Polish

Etymology

From grad.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡrat/
• Rhymes: -at
• Syllabification: Grad
• Homophones: grad, grat

Proper noun

Grad m pers

1. a male surname

Declension

Declension of Grad

	singular	plural
nominative	Grad	Gradowie
genitive	Grada	Gradów
dative	Gradowi	Gradom
accusative	Grada	Gradów
instrumental	Gradem	Gradami
locative	Gradzie	Gradach
vocative	Gradzie	Gradowie

Proper noun

Grad f (indeclinable)

1. a female surname

Further reading

• “Grad”, in Internetowy słownik nazwisk w Polsce [Internet dictionary of surnames in Poland], 2022