trede

Trede is a Dutch noun meaning a step or rung. It refers to the horizontal surface of a staircase or the rung of a ladder on which a person places their foot. In the construction of stairs, trede denotes the tread—the part that is stepped on. In ladders, a trede is the rung between two side rails. The concepts of ladder and stair components are described using trede in everyday usage.

In addition to its literal meaning, trede is used metaphorically to denote a stage or level in a process or career, as in “een trede hoger” (one step higher). The term is common in Dutch and, in Afrikaans, retains a similar sense of step or degree. In English, the equivalent terms are tread or rung, depending on context. The word has cognates in other Germanic languages, reflecting the shared origin of step-related vocabulary.

There are no widely recognized uses of trede as a proper noun in common reference; it is primarily a common noun in Dutch-language contexts. The term appears in technical manuals, architectural plans, and everyday speech when discussing stairs, ladders, or progression.