stairwell

UK/ˈstɛəwɛl/US/ˈstɛɹwɛl/

nounB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #5,771 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: stairwells

A stairwell is the vertical shaft that holds a staircase. Down the stairwell, echo in the stairwell, a concrete stairwell.

It is the space rather than the stairs themselves, which is why voices echo in one. In a tall building the stairwell is pressurised and fire-rated so that it stays clear of smoke, since it is the escape route when the lifts stop.

Definitions of stairwell

1nounstairwellThe vertical shaft that holds a staircase.B2
“The fire alarm went off, and we all hurried down the stairwell.”

stairwell is a shaft.

Where it comes from

From stair + well.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Buildings & Architecture

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stairwell in the wild

A stairwell is a vertical shaft or opening that contains a staircase.
Stairs
The tomb was abandoned before it was completed, and the work was halted as the stairwell in the single chamber was being cut.
KV49
Once the stairwell has been reached, the chair can be pushed back to engage the tracks on the treads of the stairs.
Escape chair
As part of Art in the Stockholm metro project, this station features tiling in both the ticket hall and stairwell in a grey scale.
Abrahamsberg metro station
The History of Mexico is a mural in the stairwell of the National Palace in Mexico City by Diego Rivera.
The History of Mexico (mural)

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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