tier

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   one of several rows, layers, or levels arranged above or below one another

   They climbed from the lowest tier of seats to the balcony.

2. 2
   noun

   one of several ranks in a system ordered by quality, importance, or price

   The service places advanced features in its highest subscription tier.

3. 3
   verb

   to arrange things in rows or levels

   The florist tiered the plants so that each one received light.

From Middle French tier and Old French tire, 'rank, order, or sequence,' probably related to tirer, 'to draw or pull out.' The word first referred to an ordered row and later broadened to vertically stacked levels and ranked categories.

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