egress

American  

[ee-gres, ih-gres] / ˈi grɛs, ɪˈgrɛs /

noun

1. the act or an instance of going, especially from an enclosed place.

2. a means or place of going out; an exit.

3. the right or permission to go out.

4. Astronomy. emersion.

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verb (used without object)

1. to go out; emerge.

egress British  

noun

1. Also called: egression.  the act of going or coming out; emergence

2. a way out, such as a path; exit

3. the right or permission to go out or depart

4. astronomy another name for emersion

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verb

1. to go forth; issue

Etymology

Origin of egress

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin ēgressus “an escape, exit,” noun use of past participle of ēgred(ī) “to go out,” from ē- e- ¹ + -gredī, combining form of gradī “to go, step”; cf. grade

Explanation

If you want to leave a place, you need a means of egress, or a way to exit, such as a door or window. It was a beautiful old house, but without enough ways of egress, they needed outdoor fire-stairs for reaching the upper floors. Egress comes from a Latin word meaning "going out." An egress is basically the same thing as an exit. (Egress can also be used as a verb, "to exit," but less frequently than as a noun.) When buildings undergo inspection, one of the main safety features under review is the number and placement of doors and windows, the "means of egress," in case of fire or other emergency.

Example Sentences

“As this latest data breach demonstrates, organizations that are victims of previous attacks are more likely to be targeted in the future,” said Jack Chapman, VP of threat intelligence at cloud security provider Egress.

From The Verge • Jul. 6, 2022

For Speckert, the Second Egress website is the first step toward petitioning for a change to the Canadian building code.

From Slate • Dec. 23, 2021

She emphasises the role that civil-society organisations played in Myanmar’s transition, particularly Myanmar Egress.

From Economist • Apr. 7, 2016

“Both sides are reaching out to each other,” said U Tin Maung Thann, the president of Myanmar Egress, an organization that works with the president’s office.

From New York Times • Sep. 18, 2012

Would she eat in the cafeteria, or in the Egress downstairs, or perhaps out on the lawn somewhere?

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng