ECHELON


Meaning of ECHELON in English

/ ˈeʃəlɒn; NAmE -lɑːn/ noun

1.

[ usually pl. ] a rank or position of authority in an organization or a society :

the lower / upper / top / higher echelons of the Civil Service

2.

an arrangement of soldiers, planes, etc. in which each one is behind and to the side of the one in front

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WORD ORIGIN

late 18th cent. (in sense 2): from French échelon , from échelle ladder, from Latin scala .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.