échelle

ladder, scale

noun eh-SHELL Less Common

Origin: Latin scala (steps, ladder)

Also means

hierarchy, rank

Usage Note

échelle can mean a physical ladder or an abstract scale of measurement. The phrase à grande échelle means 'on a large scale', while à l'échelle de means 'at the level of'. The plural échelles is also used in cartography to refer to map scales.

Examples

"L'ouvrier monte l'échelle avec précaution."

Natural Translation

The worker climbs the ladder carefully.

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