létape

L'étape is a French noun meaning a stage, leg of a journey, or a stopover in a sequence of actions. It is feminine: une étape, and its plural is les étapes. The form l'étape is used before a vowel or mute h; the spelling létape without an apostrophe is not standard in French except in stylized brand names or graphic design.

In travel and tourism, l'étape refers to a segment of a journey or to a planned stopover during a trip. An itinerary may specify "la première étape," followed by another leg of travel. In hospitality, an étape can also denote an overnight stay or a lodging arranged as part of a multi-day route. In sports, especially cycling, une étape designates a single stage of a multi-day race such as the Tour de France; stages can vary in distance, difficulty, and terrain.

In general usage, étapte also appears in contexts outside travel. In business, project management, and computer workflows, it describes a discrete phase or step within a process, for example "étapes du processus" or "étape par étape" meaning step-by-step progression. The term is widely used with adjectives indicating order or scope, such as première étape, étape finale, or étape technique.

See also: étape in linguistic and cultural contexts, étaper-related phrases in French, and cognate terms in other Romance languages. L étap e remains a common building block for describing sequences, progressions, and breaks within journeys, plans, and systems.