stepping stone

See also: steppingstone and stepping-stone

English

Stepping stones, Egton, North Yorkshire

Alternative forms

• stepping-stone
• steppingstone

Etymology

First attested circa 1325; first used in the figurative sense circa 1653.

Pronunciation

• enPR: stĕpʹĭng-stōn′
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈstɛp.ɪŋ stəʊn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈstɛp.ɪŋ stoʊn/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈstɛp.ɪŋ stɐʉn/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

stepping stone (plural stepping stones)

1. A stone that can be stepped on in crossing something, especially a marsh or creek.
   • 1829, Edgar Allan Poe, “Tamerlane”, in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems:

     Falling—her veriest stepping-stone
     Shall form the pedestal of a throne— […]

   • 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 171, about Egton Bridge:

     Pretty stone cottages overlook the river's northern bank, and a short footpath 200 yds beyond the post office leads to stepping-stones.

2. (idiomatic) Something used as a way to progress to something or somewhere else.

   He was full of ambition, and force, and life, intending all sorts of great things, and meaning to make his position a stepping stone to all that was excellent in public life.

   Esperanto can make a good stepping stone language to Latin, which may be difficult for amateur linguists.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto I:

     I held it truth, with him who sings
     ⁠To one clear harp in divers tones,
     ⁠That men may rise on stepping-stones
     Of their dead selves to higher things.

Synonyms

• means
• way

Related terms

• milestone

Translations

stone used to cross something

• Bulgarian: основопола́гащ ка́мък m (osnovopolágašt kámǎk)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 墊腳石 / 垫脚石 (zh) (diànjiǎoshí)

• Danish: trædesten (da) c
• Esperanto: travadoŝtono
• Finnish: askelkivi
• French: see pas japonais (fr) and gué (fr)
• German: Trittstein (de) m
• Icelandic: stiklur f pl
• Indonesian: batu loncatan (id)
• Italian: sasseto m, selciaia f, acciottolato (it) m
• Japanese: 飛び石 (ja) (とびいし, tobiishi)
• Polish: kamień do przechodzenia m
• Portuguese: poldra (pt) f, pondra (pt) f, alpondra (pt)
• Russian: ка́мень, поло́женный для перехо́да m (kámenʹ, polóžennyj dlja perexóda) (no exact term exists), ка́мень-присту́пка m (kámenʹ-pristúpka)
• Scottish Gaelic: clacharan m
• Tagalog: batong tuntungan

something used as a way to progress

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 墊腳石 / 垫脚石 (zh) (diànjiǎoshí)

• Danish: springbræt n, trædesten (da) c
• Esperanto: travadoŝtono
• Finnish: ponnahduslauta (fi), astinlauta (fi)
• French: marchepied (fr) m, tremplin (fr) m, palier (fr) m
• German: Sprungbrett (de) n
• Hebrew: מַקְפֵּצָה (he) f (maqpetzá)
• Hungarian: ugródeszka (hu)
• Icelandic: stökkpallur m
• Indonesian: batu loncatan (id)
• Italian: viatico (it) m, trampolino di lancio m, trampolino (it) m
• Polish: kamień milowy (pl) m
• Portuguese: trampolim (pt) m
• Russian: ступе́нька (ru) f (stupénʹka), трампли́н (ru) m (tramplín), ста́ртовая площа́дка f (stártovaja ploščádka), плацда́рм (ru) m (placdárm)
• Spanish: trampolín (es) m
• Tagalog: batong tuntungan

See also

• building block
• stumbling block