STAIRCASE, noun [stair and case.] The part of a building which contains the stairs. Staircases are straight or winding. The straight are called fliers, or direct fliers. Winding stairs, called spiral or cockle, are square, circular or elliptical. To make a complete staircase is a curious piece of architecture.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI