A small decorative molding or carving that resembles a ladder pattern, used in architecture and woodwork.
Possibly from Dutch or Flemish 'echeloot,' combining 'echel' (ladder) with a Germanic suffix. Used in 17th-18th century architectural decoration.
Medieval and Renaissance builders loved decorating with ladder patterns—the echeloot is literally architecture that looked like the scaffolding that built it, a kind of hidden tribute to construction itself.
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