es·ca·lade 
(ĕskə-lād′, -läd′)
(ĕskə-lād′, -läd′)n.
The act of scaling a fortified wall or rampart.
[French, from Italian scalata, ultimately from Latin scālae, ladder; see skand- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
esca·lade′ v.
es′ca·lader n.