Increased in intensity, magnitude, or scope, often rapidly or dramatically; having risen to a higher level, especially in conflict or tension.
From 'escalade' (scaling walls with ladders) from Spanish 'escalada', from 'escalar' (to climb) from Latin 'scala' (ladder, stairs). The military term for climbing fortress walls evolved to describe any rapid upward progression.
Escalators got their name from this same root - they're literally mechanical stairs that carry you up! When a situation escalates, it's climbing the rungs of intensity like someone storming a castle wall, step by dangerous step.
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