echelon

Where does the word "echelon" come from? It comes from Latin scalae, passing through Old French and French before entering English (1796-1914).

Echelon’s story begins in Latin: scalae meant “ladder, steps.” The plural word for stairs or a ladder. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as eschiele. Kept the sense of a ladder. From there it passed into French as echelon by medieval. Named a single rung, then a step-like, staggered arrangement of troops. It reached English by 1796-1914 as echelon. Entered for the military formation, later widened to any level or rank within a hierarchy. Today, echelon means a level or rank within an organization or hierarchy.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient scalae "ladder, steps", the plural word for stairs or a ladder.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval eschiele "a ladder", kept the sense of a ladder.
3. Stage 3 · French · medieval echelon "a rung; a staggered troop formation", named a single rung, then a step-like, staggered arrangement of troops.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1796-1914 echelon "a level or rank within an organization", entered for the military formation, later widened to any level or rank within a hierarchy.