# escala
## Catalan
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [əsˈka.lə]
* IPA: (Valencia) [esˈka.la]
* Audio (Catalonia):(file)

### Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin scāla.

#### Noun

escala f (plural escales)
* stairs
* ladder
* (poker) straight
* scale, measure

##### Derived terms

* escala de color
* escala reial
* escalar
* escalat

### Etymology 2

Probably borrowed from Italian scala, in this sense taken from Byzantine Greek σκάλα (skála), itself from Latin scala.

#### Noun

escala f (plural escales)
* (nautical, aeronautics) stopover

### Etymology 3
#### Verb

escala
* inflection of escalar:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

### Further reading

* “escala” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “escala”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “escala” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “escala” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Galician
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin scāla. Cognate of escada (“ladder, stairs”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /esˈkala/ [es̺ˈkɑ.lɐ]
* Rhymes: -ala
* Hyphenation: es‧ca‧la

### Noun

escala f (plural escalas)
* scale, measure

## Portuguese
### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /isˈka.lɐ/, /esˈka.lɐ/
* (Brazil) IPA: /isˈka.lɐ/, /esˈka.lɐ/
** (Rio de Janeiro) IPA: /iʃˈka.lɐ/, /eʃˈka.lɐ/
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /esˈka.la/
* (Portugal) IPA: /(i)ʃˈka.lɐ/
* Rhymes: -alɐ
* Hyphenation: es‧ca‧la

### Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Latin scāla. Cognate of escada (“ladder, stairs”).

#### Noun

escala f (plural escalas)
* scale, measure

### Etymology 2

Probably borrowed from Italian scala, in this sense taken from Byzantine Greek σκάλα (skála), itself from Latin scala.

#### Noun

escala f (plural escalas)
* stopover

### Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

escala
* inflection of escalar:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

### References

* ↑ “escala”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
* ↑ “escala”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

## Spanish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /esˈkala/ [esˈka.la]
* Audio (Venezuela):(file)
* Rhymes: -ala
* Syllabification: es‧ca‧la

### Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin scāla. Cognates include French échelle.

#### Noun

escala f (plural escalas)
* ladder (a frame, usually portable, of wood, metal, or rope, used for ascent and descent)
    Synonym: escalera de mano
* scale (an ordered, usually numerical sequence used for measurement, means of assigning a magnitude)
* (music) scale (a series of notes spanning an octave)
* ladder, hierarchy (of a company, of the military)
    Synonym: escalafón
* scale (the ratio of depicted distance to actual distance)
* scale (size; scope)
    a gran escala ― on a broad scale

##### Derived terms

* a escala vista
* economía de escala
* escala de Beaufort
* escala de gato
* escala de reserva
* escala de temperaturas
* escala de viento
* escala del modo
* escalafón
* escalar
* escalón
* tren de escala

##### Related terms

* escalera

### Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian scala, in this sense taken from Byzantine Greek σκάλα (skála), itself from Latin scala.

#### Noun

escala f (plural escalas)
* stopover, layover (a short interruption in a journey or the place visited during such an interruption)
    hacer escala en ― stop over in; do/have a stopover in
** 2023 December 4, Clara Blanchar, Dani Cordero, “Barcelona supera este año los tres millones de cruceristas, y aumentan solo los que hacen escala”, in El País‎:Mirando las cifras con detalle, el gran aumento de cruceristas se ha producido en los que solo hacen escala en la ciudad: ya son 1,4 millones, un 18,8% más que en 2019.Looking at the numbers in detail, the great increase in cruise passengers has taken place due to those who are only stopping over in the city: they have already reached 1.4 million, 18.8% more than in 2019.

### Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

escala
* inflection of escalar:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

### Further reading

* “escala”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10