This is the 11296th most frequent Spanish word.
escalar
"Escalar" means "to climb" or "to escalate."
Used literally to mean climbing a physical object, like a mountain.
Él decidió escalar la montaña más alta de la región.
He decided to climb the highest mountain in the region.
Used metaphorically to mean something increasing or intensifying, such as a situation or conflict.
La situación ha comenzado a escalar rápidamente debido a la falta de comunicación.
The situation has begun to escalate quickly due to the lack of communication.
Used formally in a work context to mean referring or upgrading an issue to a higher level of authority.