Wiktionary

escalator

English

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Escalators
 
Escalators

Etymology

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From the former trademark Escalator, created by American inventor Charles Seeberger in 1900, from Latin e (“from, out of”) + scala (“ladder”) + -tor, which forms nouns of agency. See the appendix. Broader usage may be influenced by escalate, and is equivalent to escalate +‎ -or. For an alternative etymology, see the Online Etymology Dictionary.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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escalator (plural escalators)

  1. Anything that escalates.
    • 2006, Dudley D. Cahn, Ruth Anna Abigail, Managing Conflict Through Communication, page xiv:
      Fourth, communication researchers study the role of stress and negative attitudes as key contributors to conflict, anger as an escalator of conflict, and emotional residues as barriers to reconciliation.
  2. A motor-driven mechanical device consisting of a continuous loop of steps that automatically conveys people from one floor to another.
    There is a plastic molly-guard covering the escalator's shutdown button to prevent little kids from pushing it and stopping the escalator.
    • 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page xiv-xv, Preface:
      I found the Tube trains morbidly fascinating, I had a simpler enthusiasm for the escalators. Everyone likes going on escalators as far as I know. It feels like a free ride, and the longer they are, the better. The only escalator in York was at Marks & Spencer's, and people would hesitate for ages before getting on, apparently waiting for the right stair to come rolling along, whereas Londoners would step on while reading a newspaper.
    • 2021 June 30, Tim Dunn, “How we made... Secrets of the London Underground”, in RAIL, number 934, page 51:
      Episode Guide: [...] Episode 1 (July 13): Exploration of both ends of the abandoned branch between Holborn and Aldwych, including an interview with the driver of the last train. And a trip to Holloway Road to find out about the Tube's only spiral escalator. [This escalator never entered service]
  3. An upward or progressive course.
    • 2009 February 19, Froma Harrop, “Housing aid may revive American dream for Latinos”, in Houston Chronicle:
      Lots of people fell for the pitch that real estate was an up-only escalator into the American Dream
  4. An escalator clause.
    They agreed to a cost-of-living escalator.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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escalator (third-person singular simple present escalators, present participle escalatoring, simple past and past participle escalatored)

  1. (intransitive, informal) To move by escalator.
    Synonym: (rare) escalate
    We escalatored to the second floor.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “escalator”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Further reading

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Anagrams

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French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English. Genericized trademark.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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escalator m (plural escalators)

  1. escalator
    Synonyms: escalier roulant, escalier mécanique

Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French escalator.

Noun

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escalator n (plural escalatoare)

  1. escalator

Declension

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singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative escalator escalatorul escalatoare escalatoarele
genitive-dative escalator escalatorului escalatoare escalatoarelor
vocative escalatorule escalatoarelor
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