Definitions
1.NounA level or rank in an organization, profession, or society.
2.NounA line of riders seeking maximum drafting in a crosswind, resulting in a diagonal line across the road.
3.NounA formation of troops, ships, aircraft, etc., in diagonal parallel rows. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
4.VerbTo form troops into an echelon.
5.AdjectiveOf a matrix: having undergone Gaussian elimination with the result that the leading coefficient or pivot (that is, the first nonzero number from the left) of a nonzero row is to the right of the pivot of the row above it, giving rise to a stepped appearance in the matrix.