echelon
[noun]
Synonyms: line, file, queue, rank, row, string, tier

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ech‧e‧lon /ˈeʃəlɒn $ -lɑːn/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1700-1800; Language: French]

1. (also echelons [plural]) a rank or level of authority in an organization, business etc, or the people at that level
upper/higher/lower echelons
the upper echelons of government
Their clients are drawn from the highest echelons of society.

2. technical a line of ships, soldiers, planes etc arranged in a pattern that looks like a series of steps

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲