Jacob's ladder
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noun
a ladder seen by Jacob in a dream, reaching from the earth to heaven. Genesis 28:12.
Nautical.
- Also called jack ladder, pilot ladder. a hanging ladder having ropes or chains supporting wooden or metal rungs or steps.
- any ladderlike arrangement aloft other than one of rattled shrouds.
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Origin of Jacob's ladder
First recorded in 1840–45 for def. 2
Words nearby Jacob's ladder
Jacobite Rebellion, Jacobs, Jacobsen, Jacob sheep, jacobsite, Jacob's ladder, Jacobson's organ, Jacob's staff, jacobus, jaconet, Jacopo della Quercia
Definition for Jacob's ladder (2 of 2)
Jacob's-ladder
[ jey-kuhbz-lad-er ]
/ Ë?dÊ’eɪ kÉ™bzË?læd É™r /
noun
any of various plants belonging to the genus Polemonium, of the phlox family, especially P. caeruleum (or P. van-bruntiae), having blue, cup-shaped flowers and paired leaflets in a ladderlike arrangement.
Origin of Jacob's-ladder
First recorded in 1725–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for Jacob's ladder
British Dictionary definitions for Jacob's ladder
Jacob's ladder
noun
Old Testament the ladder reaching up to heaven that Jacob saw in a dream (Genesis 28:12–17)
Also called: jack ladder a ladder made of wooden or metal steps supported by ropes or chains
a North American polemoniaceous plant, Polemonium caeruleum, with blue flowers and a ladder-like arrangement of leaves
any of several similar or related plants
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for Jacob's ladder
Jacob's ladder
A ladder that Jacob saw in a dream. After he had obtained his brother Esau's birthright and received his father's blessing, he had a vision of the angels of God ascending and descending a ladder that extended from Earth to heaven. God, who stood at the top of the ladder, promised to bless Jacob and his offspring and to bring his descendants into the Promised Land. (See Jacob and Esau.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.