thirty-degree
thirty-degree
UK[ˈθɜːti dɪˈɡriː]US[ˈθɜːrti dɪˈɡriː]
adj
Of or relating to an angle of thirty degrees.
adj
Forming or set at an angle of thirty degrees.
Morpheme Breakdown
thirty
degree
thirty
number
degree
unit of measurement
Etymology
The compound "thirty-degree" is a modern English formation combining a cardinal number with a unit of angular or thermal measurement. "Thirty" originates from the Old English word for three tens, reflecting the ancient Germanic base-ten counting system. "Degree" has a more complex journey, stemming from the Latin gradus meaning "step," which evolved through Medieval Latin to denote stages on a scale, including temperature and geometry. The literal combination, "thirty steps," thus metaphorically came to specify a precise point—thirty units—on a measured scale, most commonly for angles or temperature.
Analysis
Structure: thirty (number) + degree (unit of measurement)
- thirty: From Old English þrītiġ, related to þrīe (three) and the suffix -tiġ (group of ten). A Germanic cardinal number.
- degree: From Old French degre, from Vulgar Latin degradus ("a step"), from Latin de- ("down") + gradus ("step, pace"). The sense of a unit of angular measurement developed in Medieval Latin.
Examples
The carpenter cut the wood at a thirty-degree angle for the joint.
A thirty-degree incline makes this hill quite challenging for cyclists.
The recipe says to bake it at a thirty-degree celsius oven for twenty minutes.