tier
n. countablen. one of several levels in a system or organization. You use this when things are organized from low to high, like prices or skills.
n. one of a series of levels or layers in a hierarchical system. Often used to categorize services, pricing structures, or organizational ranks.
The subscription service has three different tiers.
The government introduced a new tier of restrictions to manage the rising number of cases in the city.
In complex software architectures, the presentation tier is strictly separated from the data management tier to ensure that updates to the user interface do not compromise database integrity.
From tie + -er.
From Middle French tier, from Old French tire (“rank, sequence, order, kind”), probably from tirer (“to draw, draw out”). Alternatively, from a Germanic source related to Middle English tir (“honour, glory, power, rule”), Old English tīr (“glory, honour, fame”), Old Norse tírr (“glory, honour, renown”).
Commonly used with 'of' to describe the contents of the level, such as 'a tier of management' or 'a tier of pricing'.