Penrose stairs

noun

An impossible loop of endlessly ascending and descending stairs, or an optical illusion appearing to depict such a loop.

“For quotations using this term, see Citations:Penrose stairs.”

Similar
impossible staircasePenrose staircasePenrose steps
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Meanings

nounPenrose stairs pl (plural only)
  1. pluralplural onlyAn impossible loop of endlessly ascending and descending stairs, or an optical illusion appearing to depict such a loop.

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:Penrose stairs.

    Synonyms: impossible staircase, Penrose staircase, Penrose steps

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn impossible loop of endlessly ascending and descending stairs, or an optical illusion appearing to depict such a loop.

Similar
impossible staircasePenrose staircasePenrose steps
Also see
penrose staircasepenrose steps

Origin

After a drawing by Lionel Penrose and Roger Penrose.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish Penrosen portaat
  • Penrosen portaatendless staircase
German unmögliche Treppe
  • unmögliche Treppeendless staircase
Japanese ペンローズ階段
  • ペンローズ階段 (Penrōzu kaidan)endless staircase
Swedish Penroses trappa
  • Penroses trappaendless staircase
Cite this entry
APA

Penrose stairs. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Penrose%20stairs

MLA

“Penrose stairs.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Penrose%20stairs. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Penrose stairs,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Penrose%20stairs.

Source: Penrose stairs on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.