stairstep

or stair-step

[ stair-step ]

noun

1. a step in a staircase.
2. stairsteps, stairs; a staircase.
3. a person or thing whose position, status, behavior, or the like suggests the shape or rise of the steps in a staircase:

   Their six children are stairsteps ranging from ages two to twelve.

verb (used without object)

, stair·stepped, stair·step·ping.

1. to occur or move in a regular pattern suggesting the steps of a staircase:

   housing units stairstepping down the hill to the edge of the lake.

adjective

1. suggesting or resembling the steps of a staircase, as in movement or shape:

   stairstep progress in improved appliance sales.

Word History and Origins

Origin of stairstep¹

First recorded in 1825–35; stair + step