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rubicon - 6 dictionary results
Ru⋅bi⋅con
[roo-bi-kon] 
bɪˌkɒn
–noun
—Idiom| 1. | a river in N Italy flowing E into the Adriatic. 15 mi. (24 km) long: in crossing this ancient boundary between Cisalpine Gaul and Italy, to march against Pompey in 49 b.c., Julius Caesar made a major military commitment. |
| 2. | cross or pass the Rubicon, to take a decisive, irrevocable step: Our entry into the war made us cross the Rubicon and abandon isolationism forever. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To rubicon
| Ru·bi·con (rōō'bĭ-kŏn') n. A limit that when passed or exceeded permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment. [Latin Rubicō, Rubicōn-, Rubicon, a short river of north-central Italy, the crossing of which by Julius Caesar and his army in 49 B.C. began a civil war.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Rubicon
Ru"bi*con\, n. (Anc. geog.) A small river which separated Italy from Cisalpine Gaul, the province alloted to Julius C[ae]sar. Note: By leading an army across this river, contrary to the prohibition of the civil government at Rome, C[ae]sar precipitated the civil war which resulted in the death of Pompey and the overthrow of the senate; hence, the phrase to pass or cross the Rubicon signifies to take the decisive step by which one is committed to a hazardous enterprise from which there is no retreat.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Rubicon [(rooh-bi-kon)]
A river in northern Italy that Julius Caesar crossed with his army, in violation of the orders of the leaders in Rome, who feared his power. A civil war followed, in which Caesar emerged as ruler of Rome. Caesar is supposed to have said, “The die is cast” (referring to a roll of dice), as he crossed the river.
Note: “Crossing the Rubicon” is a general expression for taking a dangerous, decisive, and irreversible step.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Rubicon
in phrase to cross (or pass) the Rubicon "take a decisive step," 1626, in ref. to small stream to the Adriatic on the coast of northern Italy, which in ancient times formed part of the southern boundary of Cisalpine Gaul; crossed by Caesar when he left his province to attack Pompey.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Rubicon
see cross the rubicon.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
