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echelon
[ esh-uh-lon ]
noun
- a level of command, authority, or rank:
After years of service, she is now in the upper echelon of city officials.
Synonyms: , , , , , , , , , , ,
- a level of worthiness, achievement, or reputation:
studying hard to get into one of the top echelon colleges.
Synonyms: , ,
- Military. a formation of troops, ships, airplanes, etc., in which groups of soldiers or individual vehicles or craft are arranged in parallel lines, either with each line extending to the right of the one in front right echelon or with each line extending to the left of the one in front left echelon, so that the whole presents the appearance of steps.
- Military. one of the groups of a formation so arranged.
- Archaic. any structure or group of structures arranged in a steplike form.
- Also called echelon grating. Spectroscopy. a diffraction grating that is used in the resolution of fine structure lines and consists of a series of plates of equal thickness stacked in staircase fashion.
verb (used with or without object)
- to form in an echelon.
echelon
/ ˈɛʃəˌɒ /
noun
- a level of command, responsibility, etc (esp in the phrase the upper echelons )
- military
- a formation in which units follow one another but are offset sufficiently to allow each unit a line of fire ahead
- a group formed in this way
- physics a type of diffraction grating used in spectroscopy consisting of a series of plates of equal thickness arranged stepwise with a constant offset
verb
- to assemble in echelon
Other Word Forms
- ··Dz·Գ noun
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of echelon1
Example Sentences
The scourge of corruption had long dogged the upper echelons of the Catholic Church.
follows exceeds even Gaga’s high standards, entering the echelon of all-time great performance art pieces.
“Everybody always loves Coachella. It’s legendary and everybody has always has their eyes on it. Tickets are super expensive and it’s this upper echelon festival. So, for us to be right there is crazy.”
As with all things, there is a hierarchy of sorts, a distinction of echelons—not in flavor, but in cachet.
In Wynn-Williams’ telling, she’s often a lonely voice of reason among the higher echelons of Facebook.
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