escalera
/eskaˈleɾa/ · A2 · noun · f
stairs
🪜 escalera = escalate + -era: the thing you use to escalate upward
From Latin scala (ladder, steps), the same root as English scale, escalate and escalator. Spanish adds an e- before s+consonant (school/escuela, scale/escala). So an escalera is what you scale: stairs or a ladder.