I. ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˈlāshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: escalator + -ion
: an increase (as in the price of an article or in a ship's tonnage) that counteracts an unjust discrepancy (as between the price of a product and the cost of material or between the tonnage of one nation's ships and that of another when both are regulated by the same treaty) ; specifically : the adjustment of prices proportionally and usually periodically and automatically to an alteration (as a rise) in the cost of materials or a similar adjustment of wages to an alteration in the cost of living
II. noun
: an increasing in extent, volume, number, amount, or scope
• es·ca·la·to·ry ˈeskələˌtōrē, -ˌtȯr-, ÷-kyə- adjective