ECHELON


Meaning of ECHELON in English

ech ‧ e ‧ lon /ˈeʃəlɒn $ -lɑːn/ BrE AmE noun [countable]

[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Language: French ]

1 . ( also echelons [plural] ) a rank or level of authority in an organization, business etc, or the people at that level

upper/higher/lower echelons

the upper echelons of government

Their clients are drawn from the highest echelons of society.

2 . technical a line of ships, soldiers, planes etc arranged in a pattern that looks like a series of steps

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.