Escalator

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Escalator \Es"ca*la`tor\, n. [NL. Cf. {Escalade}.]
     A stairway or incline arranged like an endless belt so that
     the steps or treads ascend or descend continuously, and one
     stepping upon it is carried up or down; -- originally a trade
     term, which has become the generic name for such devices.
     Such devices are in common use in large retail establishments


     such as department stores, and in public buildings having a
     heavy traffic of persons between adjacent floors.
     [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  escalator
       n 1: a clause in a contract that provides for an increase or a
            decrease in wages or prices or benefits etc. depending
            on certain conditions (as a change in the cost of living
            index) [syn: {escalator clause}]
       2: a stairway whose steps move continuously on a circulating
          belt [syn: {moving staircase}, {moving stairway}]