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Jacob's ladder

Pronunciation: /ˈʤeɪkəbz/

Definition of Jacob's ladder

noun

  • 1a herbaceous Eurasian plant with blue or white flowers and slender pointed leaves, rows of which are said to resemble a ladder.
    • Polemonium caeruleum, family Polemoniaceae
  • 2a rope ladder with wooden rungs.

Origin:

mid 18th century: with biblical allusion to Jacob's dream of a ladder reaching to heaven (Gen. 28:12)

Jacob's ladder in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of Jacob's ladder in the US English dictionary