escalera

staircase

noun ehs-kah-LEH-rah Rare

Origin: From Latin scalaria, from scala (steps).

Also means

ladder

Usage Note

Escalera covers both a fixed staircase inside a building and a portable ladder. Spanish distinguishes escalera de mano (stepladder/hand ladder) from escalera mecánica (escalator) and escalera de incendios (fire escape). The plural escaleras is common when referring to a flight of stairs as a whole.

Examples

"Subió las escaleras corriendo para no llegar tarde."

Natural Translation

He ran up the stairs so as not to be late.

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