Escalator
An escalator is a type of vertical transportation in the form of a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building. It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep them horizontal.
Escalators are used around the world in places where lifts would be impractical. Principal areas of usage include department stores, shopping malls, airports, transit systems (railway/railroad stations), convention centers, hotels, arenas, stadiums and public buildings.
Escalators have the capacity to move large numbers of people. They can be placed in the same physical space as a staircase. They have no waiting interval (except during very heavy traffic). They can be used to guide people toward main exits or special exhibits. They may be weatherproofed for outdoor use. A nonfunctional escalator can function as a normal staircase, whereas many other methods of transport become useless when they break down or lose power.
Travelator (noun)
A moving walkway; a slow conveyor belt that transports people horizontally or on an incline in a similar manner to an escalator.
Escalator (noun)
A motor-driven mechanical device consisting of a continuous loop of steps that automatically conveys people from one floor to another.
Escalator (noun)
An upward or progressive course.
Escalator (noun)
An escalator clause.
“They agreed to a cost-of-living escalator.”
Travelator (noun)
a moving walkway, typically at an airport.
Escalator (noun)
a moving staircase consisting of an endlessly circulating belt of steps driven by a motor, which conveys people between the floors of a public building.