graduée

Graduée is the feminine form of the French adjective gradué. In standard usage, it is relatively rare as a descriptor for a person who has earned a degree; the usual feminine form for a graduate is diplômée. Because of this, references to educational attainment almost always prefer diplô-mée rather than graduée.

The term is more commonly found in technical or descriptive phrases referring to markings or measurements. For example, échelle graduée describes a scale with evenly spaced marks, while ligne graduée denotes a line marked with graduations. In these contexts, graduée or gradué agrees with the gender of the noun (échelle, surface, ligne are feminine; cadran, instrument are masculine and use gradué).

Etymologically, graduée derives from the same root as graduation and gradation, rooted in Latin gradus meaning step, degree, or rank. The concept of gradation is preserved in words that indicate progression or measurement, such as graduation, gradient, and graded markings.

In summary, graduée primarily appears as a feminine descriptor for things bearing graduations or increments, and is less common as a designation for a person who has completed a degree, where diplô-mée is standard. The term sits alongside related forms like gradué (masculine) and gradation in French lexicon, with usage determined by grammatical gender and context.