Ladder
/ˈlæd.ər/noun
A structure with steps or rungs used for climbing up or down.
Did you know?Ladder is one of those deceptively simple words whose exact origin is uncertain, but it is generally traced to Old English and Germanic forms meaning a climbing frame, not to any occult or mystical source.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
hlǣder
“ladder; climbing frame”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hlaidrijō / *hlaidrō
“a ladder or climbing device”
Middle English
ME
ladder
“ladder; a device for climbing”
Modern English
English
ladder
“a portable frame with rungs for climbing”