echelon
n.n. a level or rank within a group, such as a military organization. It can also describe a group of people at the same level in a hierarchy.
n. a level or rank within a hierarchy or organization. In a military context, it refers to a specific tier of command or a group of units operating at the same level.
The general moved up to the next echelon of command.
The military strategy involved coordinating actions across three different echelons to ensure a unified front.
The research team was divided into three distinct echelons, each responsible for a specific phase of the clinical trial to maintain rigorous oversight.
Borrowed from French échelon (“rung; echelon”), from échelle (“ladder”) + -on (diminutive suffix). Échelle is derived from Latin scāla (“ladder”), from scandō (“to ascend, climb”), from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to jump”).