ladder

• n. 階段；道；はしご
• vi.有名になる；富を築く
• vt.はしごをかける。

PIE*kleiの「傾ける」、「前傾する」が語源で、「傾く」、「傾斜する」と同じ意味だが、後に梯子を指すようになった。

ladder

ladder: [OE] Etymologically, a ladder is something that is ‘leant’ up against a wall. Like Greek klīmax ‘ladder’ (source of English climax), it goes back ultimately to the Indo- European base *khli-, source of English lean. Its West Germanic relatives are German leiter and Dutch leer.
=> climax, lean

ladder (n.)

Old English hl?der "ladder, steps," from Proto-Germanic *khlaidri (cognates: Old Frisian hledere, Middle Dutch ledere, Old High German leitara, German Leiter), from PIE root *klei- "to lean" (cognates: Greek klimax "ladder;" see lean (v.)). In late Old English, rungs were l?ddrest?f? and the side pieces were ledder steles. The belief that walking under one brings bad luck is attested from 1787, but its origin likely is more pragmatic than symbolic. Ladder-back (adj.) as a type of chair is from 1898.

1. Her whole body began to buckle，unbalancing the ladder .

彼女は体全体が曲がり始め、はしごが傾き始めた。

2.Two men were on the bridge-deck,steadying a ladder .

2人の男が船橋甲板にはしごを支えて揺れないようにしている。

3.We climbed rather perilously down a rope- ladder to the boat below.

私たちはかなりの危険を冒して縄ばしごに沿って下の船に登った。

4.Uncle George quickly descended the ladder and nimbly steped abard.

ジョージおじさんははしごを素早く降り、機敏に船に乗った。

5.He was halfway up the ladder .

彼ははしごの半分まで登っている。