graduate

Graduate comes from Medieval Latin graduātus, the past participle of graduō, 'to graduate,' itself built on gradus, meaning 'step,' plus a verb-forming ending. English borrowed it through Middle English graduat(e), which served as both an adjective and a noun for someone who had graduated from a university.

The word entered English already carrying its academic sense from Medieval Latin, describing one who had completed university steps. Much later, the verb picked up a new sense from Japanese 卒業 (sotsugyō), used for entertainers 'graduating' from a group.

Graduate shares its root gradus ('step') with the very idea of a 'grade' — both trace back to the notion of stepping upward.