stepping stone
nounUK /ˈstɛp.ɪŋ stəʊn/ · US /ˈstɛp.ɪŋ stoʊn/
Etymology First attested circa 1325; first used in the figurative sense circa 1653.
1
A stone that can be stepped on in crossing something, especially a marsh or creek.
- Falling—her veriest stepping-stone Shall form the pedestal of a throne— […]1829, Edgar Allan Poe, “Tamerlane”, in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems:
- Pretty stone cottages overlook the river's northern bank, and a short footpath 200 yds beyond the post office leads to stepping-stones.1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 171, about Egton Bridge:
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.
2 more examples
- 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.1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto I”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:
- It has already been shown that the Manchester South Junction & Altrincham (itself the joint property of the London & North Western and the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railways) served as a stepping stone by which the M.S.L.R. and G.N.R. extended their services from Manchester to Liverpool, […].1957 November 23, M. D. Greville and G. O. Holt, “Railway Development in Manchester—3”, in Railway Magazine, page 764:
- Related terms
- milestone, building block, stumbling block