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definitions

moving stairway

noun

escalator(def 1).

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Origin of moving stairway

First recorded in 1905–10
Also called moving staircase.

escalator

[es-kuh-ley-ter]

noun

Also called moving staircase, moving stairway. a continuously moving stairway on an endless loop for carrying passengers up or down.
a means of rising or descending, increasing or decreasing, etc., especially by stages: the social escalator.
escalator clause.

adjective

of, relating to, or included in an escalator clause: The union demands escalator protection of wages.

Origin of escalator

1895–1900, Americanism; formerly a trademark; perhaps escal(ade) + (elev)ator
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for moving staircase

moving staircase

moving stairway

noun

less common terms for escalator (def. 1)

escalator

noun

a moving staircase consisting of stair treads fixed to a conveyor belt, for transporting passengers between levels, esp between the floors of a building
short for escalator clause

Word Origin for escalator

C20: originally a trademark
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
Word Origin and History for moving staircase

escalator

n.

1900, American English, trade name of an Otis Elevator Co. moving staircase, coined from escalade + -ator in elevator. Figurative use is from 1927.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper