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Glite Dictionary
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stairstep

stairstep

3.9
A pattern of small levels that look like steps
  • noun
  • /ˈstɛrˌstɛp/
translation icon : patrón escalonado
  • The graph showed a clear stairstep pattern.

Examples

  • The graph displayed a stairstep pattern as sales increased in small increments each month.

  • Her progress in learning the language followed a stairstep rather than a smooth curve.

  • Designers used a stairstep arrangement to create visual interest in the building's facade.

  • I noticed the stairsteps in the data visualization.

  • The graph shows a clear stairstep pattern, with each level representing quarterly revenue growth.

  • In the design, the shelves are arranged in a stairstep fashion, allowing for easier access to each item.

  • The evolution of technology can be visualized as a stairstep ascent, with each new innovation building on the last.

Surface Forms

stairstep singular
stairsteps plural

Morphology

stairstep = stair + step (transparent) = stair + step

Compound meaning 'like a series of stairs/steps' applied metaphorically to patterns; the metaphor is straightforward from the components.

Etymology

Stairstep is made of stair and step, which gives a picture of small flat levels rising one after another. That's why a stairstep pattern means 'a series of small steps or levels', like in a chart or a building design.