stairstep

or stair-step

[stair-step]

noun

a step in a staircase.

stairsteps, stairs; a staircase.

a person or thing whose position, status, behavior, or the like suggests the shape or rise of the steps in a staircase: Their six children are stairsteps ranging from ages two to twelve.

verb (used without object), stair·stepped, stair·step·ping.

to occur or move in a regular pattern suggesting the steps of a staircase: housing units stairstepping down the hill to the edge of the lake.

adjective

suggesting or resembling the steps of a staircase, as in movement or shape: stairstep progress in improved appliance sales.

Origin of stairstep

First recorded in 1825–35; stair + step