/ 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 .