[syn: escalator, moving staircase, moving stairway]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Escalator \Es"ca*la`tor\, n. [NL. Cf. Escalade.]
A stairway or incline arranged like an endless belt so that
the steps or treads ascend or descend continuously, and one
stepping upon it is carried up or down; -- originally a trade
term, which has become the generic name for such devices.
Such devices are in common use in large retail establishments
such as department stores, and in public buildings having a
heavy traffic of persons between adjacent floors.
[Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
escalator
n 1: a clause in a contract that provides for an increase or a
decrease in wages or prices or benefits etc. depending on
certain conditions (as a change in the cost of living
index) [syn: escalator clause, escalator]
2: a stairway whose steps move continuously on a circulating
belt [syn: escalator, moving staircase, moving
stairway]