rubicon
A limit that when surpassed cannot be returned from, or an action that when taken…A limit that when surpassed cannot be returned from, or an action that when taken cannot be reversed.
» Caesar leaves Gaul, crosses the Rubicon, and enters Italy.
Cäsar verläßt Gallien, überquert den Rubikon und zieht nach Italien ein. — Waldelfe
Цезарь покидает Галлию, переходит Рубикон и вторгается в Италию. — marafon
CM · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 sensesA limit that when surpassed cannot be returned from, or an action that when taken cannot be reversed.
Especially in bezique and piquet: a score which, if not achieved by a losing player, increases the player's penalty.
- a line that when crossed permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment
- the boundary in ancient times between Italy and Gaul; Caesar's crossing it with his army in 49 BC was an act of war
Examples
1 sentencesOrigin
The noun is derived from the phrase cross the Rubicon (“to make an irreversible decision oThe noun is derived from the phrase cross the Rubicon (“to make an irreversible decision or to take an action with consequences”). Julius Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon, a small river in northeastern Italy, on 10 January 49 B.C.E., indicated his intention to start a civil war with Pompey. Rubicon is derived from Latin Rubicō, Rubicōn (“the Rubicon”), possibly from rubeus (“red, reddish”), from rubeō (“to be red”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- (“red”), an allusion to the colour of the river caused by mud deposits.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: rubiconsSynonyms
1 synonyms- a line that when crossed permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment:point of no return
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.