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rolling stone
2 dictionary results for: Rolling Stone
Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English - Cite This Source - Share This
| Main Entry: | rolling stone |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | a person who likes to move often, unwilling to settle in one place |
| Etymology: | from proverb "a rolling stone gathers no moss" |
Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.7)
Copyright © 2003-2008 Lexico Publishing Group, LLC
Copyright © 2003-2008 Lexico Publishing Group, LLC
American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This
rolling stone
A person who moves about a great deal and never settles down, as in Kate's lived in ten cities in as many years
she's a real rolling stone. This expression is a shortening of the proverb a rolling stone gathers no moss, first recorded in 1523, which indicates that one who never settles anywhere will not do well. After some 300 years of this interpretation, in the mid-1800s the value of gathering moss (and staying put) began to be questioned, and in current usage the term is most often used without any particular value judgment.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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