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Staircase
//ˈstɛɹˌkeɪs// noun, verb
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A flight of stairs; a stairway.
"I was on the staircase by the bell / Blinded by the black magician's spell"
- 2 a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps wordnet
- 3 A connected set of flights of stairs; a stairwell.
"Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear."
- 4 A set of locks (enclosed sections of waterway) mounted one above the next.
Verb
- 1 To modify (a signal, a graph, etc.) to reduce a smooth curve to a series of discrete steps. transitive
"This leads to much smoother reconstructions in regions of moderate gradient and thus prevents staircasing."
- 2 To increase one's share in a co-ownership.
"It is a good idea to make plans for staircasing when you first buy your shared ownership home."
Etymology
Etymology 1
From stair + case.
Etymology 2
From stair + case.
See also for "staircase"
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Unscramble this word: staircase