English

A spiral staircase.

Noun

staircase ‎(plural staircases)

1. A flight of stairs; a stairway.
2. A connected set of flights of stairs; a stairwell.
   • 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, Nobody, chapter III:

     Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess:

     When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe to let him loose, and he had no immediate idea what to do with him.

3. A set of locks (enclosed sections of waterway) mounted one above the next.

Derived terms

• staircasing

Translations

Anagrams

• Caesarist