yvlog

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View synonyms for

echelon

[ esh-uh-lon ]

noun

  1. a level of command, authority, or rank:

    After years of service, she is now in the upper echelon of city officials.

    Synonyms: , , , , , , , , , , ,

  2. a level of worthiness, achievement, or reputation:

    studying hard to get into one of the top echelon colleges.

    Synonyms: , ,

  3. Military. a formation of troops, ships, airplanes, etc., in which groups of soldiers or individual vehicles or craft are arranged in parallel lines, either with each line extending to the right of the one in front right echelon or with each line extending to the left of the one in front left echelon, so that the whole presents the appearance of steps.
  4. Military. one of the groups of a formation so arranged.
  5. Archaic. any structure or group of structures arranged in a steplike form.
  6. Also called echelon grating. Spectroscopy. a diffraction grating that is used in the resolution of fine structure lines and consists of a series of plates of equal thickness stacked in staircase fashion.


verb (used with or without object)

  1. to form in an echelon.

echelon

/ ˈɛʃəˌɒ /

noun

  1. a level of command, responsibility, etc (esp in the phrase the upper echelons )
  2. military
    1. a formation in which units follow one another but are offset sufficiently to allow each unit a line of fire ahead
    2. a group formed in this way
  3. physics a type of diffraction grating used in spectroscopy consisting of a series of plates of equal thickness arranged stepwise with a constant offset
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to assemble in echelon
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other yvlog Forms

  • 𳦳··Dz·Գ noun
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of echelon1

First recorded in 1790–1800; from French éDz, originally “rung of a ladder,” from Old French eschelon, equivalent to esch(i)ele “ladder” (from Latin + -on noun suffix; scale 3 )
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of echelon1

C18: from French éDz, literally: rung of a ladder, from Old French eschiele ladder, from Latin ; see scale ³
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

As with all things, there is a hierarchy of sorts, a distinction of echelons—not in flavor, but in cachet.

From

In Wynn-Williams’ telling, she’s often a lonely voice of reason among the higher echelons of Facebook.

From

Thousands of its fighters and supporters are dead, the upper echelons of its leadership decimated.

From

Four retirees from the top echelon of the U.S. military, including the admiral who led the raid on Osama bin Laden, have filed a brief that castigates the U.S.

From

Along with Prince, other key members of the group hail from the upper echelons of Blackwater, a private military contractor that provided security services for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

From

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