(STEP) [noun] [C] - any of the short bars that form the steps of a ladderHalf-way up I had to stop because several rungs were broken.(figurative) I started my life on the lowest/bottom rung of the ladder (= at the lowest level) in this company.
RUNG
Meaning of RUNG in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012