escalator vs stairway

escalator and stairway both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
escalator	Yes	No	No	No
stairway	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, stairway is a hypernym of escalator; that is, stairway is a word with a broader meaning than escalator:

escalator: a stairway whose steps move continuously on a circulating belt
stairway: a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps

Other hypernyms of escalator include staircase.

escalator (noun)	stairway (noun)
a stairway whose steps move continuously on a circulating belt	a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
a clause in a contract that provides for an increase or a decrease in wages or prices or benefits etc. depending on certain conditions (as a change in the cost of living index)