Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A formation of troops in which each unit is positioned successively to the left or right of the rear unit to form an oblique or steplike line.
- n. A flight formation or arrangement of craft in this manner.
- n. A similar formation of groups, units, or individuals.
- n. A subdivision of a military or naval force: a command echelon.
- n. A level of responsibility or authority in a hierarchy; a rank: a job in the company's lower echelon.
- v. To arrange or take place in an echelon.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A step-like arrangement or order; specifically, a military disposition of troops of such a nature that each division, brigade, regiment, company, or other body occupies a position parallel to, but not in the same alinement with, that in front, thus presenting the appearance of steps, and capable of being formed into one line by moving each of the less advanced divisions, etc., forward until they all aline. Troops so disposed are said to be in echelon. A fleet is said to be in echelon when it presents a wedge-form to the enemy, so that the bow-guns and broadsides of the several ships can defend one another.
- To form in echelon.
- n. Milit., one of the subdivisions of a command marching in echelon.
- n. In optics, a set of glass plates placed one upon another, with the edge of each projecting slightly, stepwise, beyond the edge of the preceding one. The device, which is due to A. A. Michelson, is used for the production of diffraction spectra of high dispersion and resolving power.
Wiktionary
- n. A level or rank in an organization, profession, or society.
- n. military A formation of troops, ships, etc. in diagonal parallel rows.
- v. To form troops into an echelon.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Mil.) An arrangement of a body of troops when its divisions are drawn up in parallel lines each to the right or the left of the one in advance of it, like the steps of a ladder in position for climbing. Also used adjectively.
- n. (Naval) An arrangement of a fleet in a wedge or V form.
- v. (Mil.) To place in echelon; to station divisions of troops in echelon.
- v. To take position in echelon.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a diffraction grating consisting of a pile of plates of equal thickness arranged stepwise with a constant offset
- n. a body of troops arranged in a line
Etymologies
- French échelon, from échelle ("ladder"). (Wiktionary)
- French échelon, from Old French eschelon, rung of a ladder, from eschiele, ladder, from Late Latin scāla, back-formation from Latin scālae, steps, ladder. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Even if the upper echelon is motivated to try to keep the shop clean, a police union operates in the opposite direction: its job, of course, is to defend its members, no matter how discreditable their conduct, and police associations have done a spectacular job of it.”
“The grand parties of the twenties only roared for a certain echelon of society, and there was a whole segment that was virtually untouched by the depressionwhich in itself was experienced in different ways on either side of the Atlantic.”
“I remained there, placing the boats which I had brought up with me, containing Bashi-Bazouks under command of Yahia Bey, who is an excellent officer, in echelon across the stream, in which position they could command a very considerable length of the ford, which extends for about a mile, and support one another in case of an attempt at a forced passage.”
“* Note: the name echelon itself refers to a "signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection and analysis network.”
“We have to get better to get to that top echelon, which is what our goal is.”
“I figured if they were auditioning the likes of me, the guy playing the dad was probably of the same echelon, that is, a nearbody nearly nobody.”
“And there's also something else called echelon, and this is a very covert and widely debated satellite-based espionage network.”
“The management echelon, that is from Director upwards, consists of 11 people. 55% of these are African, 0% coloured.”
“In order, as it would seem, to keep a fighting formation that would impose respect on the bands of Dervishes on the Kerreri Hills, he adopted the formation known as echelon of brigades from the left.”
The Development of the European Nations, 1870-1914 (5th ed.)
“It clearly shows the culpability of the next command echelon, which is just as great as that of the pilots.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘echelon’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11250 more...
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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What follows
follow up, track, pursue, tail, keep abreast, chase after, stick with, tagalong, stick to, trail, camp follower, dog and 66 more...
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Favorites
disparage, partisan, cupidity, hokum, tussle, odious, dastardly, overture, plane, chronic, peering, peer and 328 more...
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GCI
spinster, maiden, happy-go-lucky, homonym, ill-at-ease, saw red, out of sorts, hot under the collar, taken aback, pen-names, alias, shoelaces and 378 more...
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Good for Academics
Gahh!! Study!
supplant, usurp, finagle, winnow, draconian, abut, collude, swindle, objectify, incite, decadent, obstinate and 327 more...
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Vocabulary Words 2.
cow tow, evident, harassed, egalitarians, anomolous, tenuous, fondly, foment, construe, ingratiate, parlance, spectacular and 96 more...
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Twitter favorites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favorite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
unfathomably, glice, cuh, fab, ciggaty, doll, thuggin, oxymoronic, pineapple, succubutt, griming, cheeky and 3027 more... -
Words I Know
List of most of the words I've learned
garner, abase, abate, abdicate, abduct, aberration, abet, abhor, abide, abject, abjure, abnegation and 1046 more...
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Carlos' Words
monstropolous, absquatulate
triffid, calque, pinguid, refulgent, monstropolous, Seanchaí, clinquant, Chryselephantine ..., peavey, milium, swage, Burtillon, Burtil... and 263 more...
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Vocabulary
Words I come across while reading.
talus, echelon, onanistic, cabochon, avocation, charnel, moue, portentous, prolixity, astringent, hoary, patina and 165 more...
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Words I'd Like to Use Someday
thundersnow, phantasmagoria, mercurial, chimerical, taciturn, paraclete, lapis lazuli, flay, guttersnipe, wonky, misanthrope, kestrel and 583 more...
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List Erine
cool mint antiseptic
shalom, cattywampus, bourgeoisie, aerophile, traverse, grotto, epicurean, ex cathedra, nautilus, epitaph, lathe, continuum and 753 more...
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patterns
ergodic, stochastic, stereopsis, echolocation, holocation, broker, map, intarsia, encipher, ocellus, muslin, mandelbrot set and 159 more...
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NTDW1
template, modal, sublingual, tandem, polycentric, septuagenarian, token, irrevocable, denotive, augural, aberrant, phlebotomy and 1188 more...
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Revised GRE Wordlist_2013
Vocabulary building for my quest of GRE 2013
ephemeral, esoteric, rhetoric, censure, egregious, pittance, dupe, mulct, paucity, alacrity, maintain, laconic and 1008 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for echelon.

jwjarvis and that the cartels’ wealth, intimidation, and influence extend to the highest echelons of law enforcement and government. Dec 7, 2010
auspice I knew a jerk who would use this word whenever he meant to elevate something's worth. Completely ruined it for me. Jul 14, 2009
jennasue this word sounds jerky Nov 26, 2008