Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An often portable structure consisting of two long sides crossed by parallel rungs, used to climb up and down.
  • noun Something that resembles this device, especially a run in a stocking.
  • noun A means of moving higher or lower, as in a hierarchy.
  • noun A series of ranked stages or levels.
  • noun A fish ladder.
  • noun An athletic workout in which one does progressively longer intervals followed by progressively shorter intervals.
  • noun One of the intervals in such a workout.
  • intransitive verb To run, as a stocking does.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A series of buckets for dredging and filling which are carried up and down an incline; a bucket-conveyer.
  • noun In railroads, a track which connects by switches the ends of a series of parallel tracks and is used in sorting cars in a drill-yard. See drill-yard.
  • noun A frame of wood, metal, or rope, usually portable, and consisting essentially of two side-pieces connected at suitable distances by cross-pieces, generally in the form of rounds or rungs, forming steps by which, when the frame is properly set, a person may ascend a height.
  • noun Figuratively, any means of ascending; a means of rising to eminence.
  • noun In logic, a figure illustrating the theory of the old logic concerning the relations of genera, differences, and species
  • noun Nautical See Jacob's-ladder, 1.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A frame usually portable, of wood, metal, or rope, for ascent and descent, consisting of two side pieces to which are fastened cross strips or rounds forming steps.
  • noun That which resembles a ladder in form or use
  • noun See under Fish.
  • noun (Zoöl.) an American leaf beetle (Chrysomela scalaris). The elytra are silvery white, striped and spotted with green; the under wings are rose-colored. It feeds upon the linden tree.
  • noun an iron rail at the side of a vertical fixed ladder, to grasp with the hand in climbing.
  • noun (Zoöl.) a spiral marine shell of the genus Scalaria. See Scalaria.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A frame usually portable, of wood, metal, or rope, for ascent and descent, consisting of two side pieces to which are fastened cross strips or rounds forming steps.
  • noun That which resembles a ladder in form or use; hence, that by means of which one attains to eminence, e.g. the corporate ladder.
  • noun chiefly UK Length of unravelled fabric in a knitted garment, especially in nylon stockings.
  • noun In the game of go, a sequence of moves following a zigzag pattern and ultimately leading to the capture of the attacked stones.
  • verb firefighting To ascend a building or wall using a ladder.
  • verb of a knitted garment To develop a ladder as a result of a broken thread.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb come unraveled or undone as if by snagging
  • noun ascending stages by which somebody or something can progress
  • noun steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
  • noun a row of unravelled stitches

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English hlǣder; see klei- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old English hlǣder, from Proto-Germanic *hlaidriz (compare West Frisian ljedder, Dutch leer, German Leiter), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱleytro (compare Old Irish clithar 'hedge', Umbrian ... (kletram) 'stretcher'), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- (“to lean”). More at lean, related to lid.

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Examples

  • The two GeoTrax made by Fisher-Price were sold at retail stores nationwide from September 2006 through August 2007 for between $3 and $16 and include: • GEOTRAX Rail and Road System Freightway Transport – painted yellow headlights on train car and miniature ladder• GEOTRAX Special Track Pack – painted yellow headlights on train car and miniature ladder

    Mattel issues third recall of lead-tainted toys 2007

  • The two GeoTrax made by Fisher-Price were sold at retail stores nationwide from September 2006 through August 2007 for between $3 and $16 and include: • GEOTRAX Rail and Road System Freightway Transport – painted yellow headlights on train car and miniature ladder• GEOTRAX Special Track Pack – painted yellow headlights on train car and miniature ladder

    Mattel issues third recall of lead-tainted toys 2007

  • In the original tongue the term ladder is derived from an expression which signifies a path or way, and a path or way is predicated of truth.

    The Gist of Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg 1730

  • The 16-time grand slam champion faces yet more uphill climb as he takes aim at the next step on the title ladder, the 77 trophies of John McEnroe.

    NEWS.com.au | Top Stories 2010

  • Because it leads you straight down what I call the ladder of compromise.

    Dr. Alex Benzer: How to Toss Toxic Mates in 3 Simple Steps 2009

  • In reflecting on the success question this weekend, I've realized that a ladder is a good metaphor for looking at this aspect in our professional life.

    What is Success? 2006

  • In reflecting on the success question this weekend, I've realized that a ladder is a good metaphor for looking at this aspect in our professional life.

    September 2006 2006

  • He continued: But the top of the ladder is a very trying place for old revolutionists who have had no administrative experience, who have had no financial experience, who have been trained as penniless hunted fugitives with Karl Marx on the brain and not as statesmen.

    Daimnation!: Shaw and Stalin 2003

  • Well now, they had a ladder, what we called a ladder road right beside where that skiff went down in the shaft, and it was kind of built off — you know, penned up — so that you wouldn't get over in the shaft.

    Oral History Interview with Dock E. Hall, January 7, 1976. Interview H-0271. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) 1976

  • We spent a long time creating what we call our ladder of maturities and when you look at our maturities out over a

    Resources | BNET 2010

  • One of the great benefits for me is I no longer have the ‘worrying ladder’ – my two daughters were worrying about me being on my own and so then I started worrying about them worrying. All that’s gone now.

    ‘We have brothers, sons, lovers – but they can’t live here!’ The happy home shared by 26 women Anita Chaudhuri 2023

Comments

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