Escalate
/ˈɛskəleɪt/noun
To increase or intensify rapidly, or to move to a higher level.
Did you know?Escalate entered English in the 20th century from the image of an escalator-like stairway, and its rise in meaning mirrors how modern language turns motion into power.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
scala
“ladder; stair”
Late Latin
Latin
scalāre
“to climb”
19th Century
English
escalator
“a moving staircase”
20th Century
English
escalate
“to rise or increase, especially by stages”
Modern English
English
escalate
“to intensify or become more serious”