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escalation

 [es-kuh-leyt]   Origin

es·ca·late

   [es-kuh-leyt]
verb (used with object), verb (used without object), es·ca·lat·ed, es·ca·lat·ing.
1.
to increase in intensity, magnitude, etc.: to escalate a war; a time when prices escalate.
2.
to raise, lower, rise, or descend on or as if on an escalator.
Origin:
1920–25; back formation from escalator

Related forms
es·ca·la·tion, noun
es·ca·la·to·ry  [es-kuh-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] , adjective
non·es·ca·lat·ing, adjective
non·es·ca·la·to·ry, adjective
re·es·ca·late, verb, re·es·ca·lat·ed, re·es·ca·lat·ing.
EXPAND
re·es·ca·la·tion, noun
COLLAPSE

Synonyms
1. advance, mount, swell.

Antonyms
1. lower, decrease, fall.

Pronunciation note
See percolate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Escalation is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
escalate (ˈɛskəˌleɪt)
 
—vb
to increase or be increased in extent, intensity, or magnitude: to escalate a war; prices escalated because of inflation
 
[C20: back formation from escalator]
 
esca'lation
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

escalation
derived noun from escalate; in the figurative sense it is from 1938, in reference to the battleship arms race among global military powers.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

escalation definition


An increase in the intensity or geographical scope of a war or diplomatic confrontation. For example, during the Korean War, some Americans urged escalation of the war through bombing of the People's Republic of China.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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