prograde
|pro-grade|
🇺🇸
/ˈproʊɡreɪd/
🇬🇧
/ˈprəʊɡreɪd/
moving/stepping forward (same direction)
Etymology
'prograde' originates from Latin elements, specifically the prefix 'pro-' meaning 'forward' and the root from Latin 'gradus'/'gradi' meaning 'step' or 'to step'.
'prograde' was formed in scientific New Latin or via modern usage from Latin elements (pro- + gradus/gradi) and entered English as a technical term (notably in astronomy) in the 19th century, becoming the modern English word 'prograde'.
Initially it carried the general sense of 'stepping or moving forward', but over time it developed specialized technical meanings such as 'moving in the same direction as the primary body's rotation' (astronomy) and 'changes occurring with increasing temperature/pressure' (metamorphism).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a motion or orbit in the same direction as the rotation of the primary body; the state of being prograde (often used in the phrase 'prograde motion').
Most planets in the solar system exhibit prograde.
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Verb 1
to move or orbit in a prograde direction; to proceed in the same direction as the primary body's rotation.
The satellite progrades around the planet.
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Adjective 1
in astronomy: moving in the same direction as the rotation of the primary body (e.g., a prograde orbit moves in the same direction as the planet's rotation).
The spacecraft has a prograde orbit around the planet.
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Adjective 2
in geology/metamorphism: describing changes that occur during increasing temperature and pressure (prograde metamorphism).
Prograde metamorphism produced new minerals as pressure and temperature rose.
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Last updated: 2025/08/22 22:05