Link Centre Dictionary

ladder

lad·der

UK/ˈlad.ə/ US/ˈlæd.ɚ/ common slang uk
noun (3) verb (1)

noun

1.

steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down

2.

ascending stages by which somebody or something can progress

  • “he climbed the career ladder”
3.

a row of unravelled stitches

  • “she got a run in her stocking”
Synonyms

verb

1.

come unraveled or undone as if by snagging

  • “Her nylons were running”
Synonyms

Origin

Inherited from Middle English ladder, laddre; from Old English hlǣder, from Proto-West Germanic *hlaidriju, from Proto-Germanic *hlaidrijō, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlóydʰrom, from *ḱley- (“to lean”). Compare Scots ledder, North Frisian ladder, Saterland Frisian Laadere, West Frisian ljedder, Dutch ladder, German Leiter; also Old Irish clithar (“hedge”), and Umbrian 𐌊𐌋𐌄𐌈𐌓𐌀𐌌 (kleθram, “stretcher”). See lean, which is related to lid. Further cognates include Ashkun istrī, Kamkata-viri c̣ik, Prasuni čik, čix; Waigali c̣iř, Sanskrit श्रिति (śrití).

Phrases

  • accommodation ladder
  • aerial ladder
  • angel's ladder
  • Appalachian Jacob's ladder
  • attic ladder
  • Cantril ladder
  • chain-ladder method
  • chicken ladder

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.