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