Stairsteps

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A flight of connected steps rising or falling between levels ; a gradual sequence of stages moving toward a goal
2. Steps arranged one above another to climb between floors ; a progressive series of increments that advance in order
3. The set of stairs linking one level to another ; a stepwise succession of phases moving forward in gradual measures

Etymology: "Stairsteps" is the plural of "stairstep", a compound formed from "stair" and "step". Both parts are old English words: "stair" descends from Old English "stæger", while "step" comes from Old English "steppe", and the two were joined to name the individual treads of a staircase, the flat horizontal parts you actually stand on. The plural simply refers to several of these treads at once. The compound's appeal lies in its plainness: it describes a stair by its most physical component, the step, rather than by the whole structure. Because the word is transparent, its meaning is clear from its parts, and it is used most often for anything arranged in a series of rising or falling levels, such as the tiered look of a graph or a hillside cut into terraces.

Synonyms: steps, stairs