Escalade
/ˌɛskəˈleɪd/noun
A steep climb or the act of scaling a wall or fortification; also, an increase or intensification.
Did you know?Escalade entered English through French military language, and its root is the Latin scala, meaning “ladder,” the same ancient root behind several words for climbing and stages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skel-
“to cut, split; likely the ancestral source behind ladder/stair-climbing vocabulary in later branches”
Latin
Latin
scala
“ladder, staircase”
Late Latin
Latin
scalāre
“to climb”
Old French
Old French
escalade
“a scaling of walls; an assault by ladders”
16th Century
English
escalade
“the act of scaling fortifications”
Modern English
English
escalade
“a steep climb or an increase in intensity”