Plural of echelon; a series of staggered military or organizational formations, or the levels of a hierarchy or command structure.
From French 'échelon,' plural 'échelons,' derived from Latin 'scala' (ladder). Each echelon represents a level or rung in a hierarchy.
When corporate leaders talk about 'reporting to the highest echelons of power,' they're using medieval military language—literally saying decisions come from the 'top rungs' of their ladder of command.
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