Refine this word faster
Jacob's ladder
Definitions
- 1 A ladder leading to heaven.
"Jacob's ladder; Christ is Jacob's ladder that reacheth up to heaven; and he that refuseth to go by this ladder thither, will scarce by other means get up so high."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of Jacob's ladder. alt-of
- 3 (nautical) a hanging ladder of ropes or chains supporting wooden or metal rungs or steps wordnet
- 4 A flowering plant of the genus Polemonium.
"Hetty could have cast all her past life behind her and never cared to be reminded of it again. I think she had no feeling at all towards the old house, and did not like the Jacob's Ladder and the long row of hollyhocks in the garden better than other flowers—perhaps not so well."
- 5 pinnate-leaved European perennial having bright blue or white flowers wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 A rope ladder from the ratline to the upper mast.
"And this is one of the signs by which you can tell a man-of-war from a merchantman, for in war-ships the catch ratline is on the aftermost shroud instead of on the foremost. In a man-of-war, too, the topgallant-rigging is never rattled down, as a Jacob's ladder leads from the topgallantmast-head down to the crosstrees; but this Jacob's ladder arrangement is found in many clippers."
- 7 A toy consisting of blocks of wood, held together by strings or ribbons, that appear to cascade downward as they flip over.
- 8 A pocketknife consisting of two handle segments joined by a pivot, with a blade connected by a second pivot to the end of one handle segment.
- 9 A noncompact surface resembling a ladder made of handlebodies.
"The infinite Loch Ness monster and Jacob's ladder (Figure 12.1.1) are diffeomorphic surfaces."
- 10 A high-voltage electrical device, often used as a visual effect in old movies, which has a pair of vertical electrodes that form an arc between them starting at the bottom, rising to the top, then repeating.
"Jacob’s Ladder displays are sometimes found in science museums and centers. In demonstrations, an electric spark jumps between two parallel wires when electrons fed into one of the wires repel each other, heating up the surrounding air so the spark rises with the hot air before dying at the top of the wires."
- 11 A serving of short ribs. UK
- 12 A ladder or run in a pair of tights. UK, obsolete, slang
"[…] because the left leg of her tights has exhibited symptoms of the defect in the warp known as a "Jacob's ladder.""
Etymology
After the Biblical Jacob's Ladder.
See also for "jacob's ladder"
Next best steps
Mini challenge
Unscramble this word: jacobsladder