The present participle of 'echelon,' meaning to arrange units or objects in an echelon or staggered formation.
From French 'échelon,' with the English gerund suffix '-ing' added. Related to 'échelonner' (to arrange in echelon formation).
The word captures something pilots still do instinctively—flying in echelon formation saves fuel and gives mutual protection, a strategy discovered through the simple geometry of ladder-like positioning.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.