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• Rosetta Stone
  Rosetta Stone

  noun

  a stone slab, found in 1799 near Rosetta, bearing parallel inscriptions in Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphic, and demotic characters, making possible the decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
• Rosetta stone
  Rosetta stone

  noun

  a basalt slab discovered in 1799 at Rosetta, dating to the reign of Ptolemy V (196 _bc ) and carved with parallel inscriptions in Egyptian hieroglyphics, demotic characters, and Greek, which provided the key to the decipherment of ancient Egyptian texts

Rosetta Stone

American  

noun

1. a stone slab, found in 1799 near Rosetta, bearing parallel inscriptions in Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphic, and demotic characters, making possible the decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

2. often Rosetta stone. a clue, breakthrough, or discovery that provides crucial knowledge for the solving of a puzzle or problem.

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Rosetta stone British  

noun

1. a basalt slab discovered in 1799 at Rosetta, dating to the reign of Ptolemy V (196 _bc ) and carved with parallel inscriptions in Egyptian hieroglyphics, demotic characters, and Greek, which provided the key to the decipherment of ancient Egyptian texts

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Rosetta stone Cultural  

1. A stone discovered in Egypt (see also Egypt) in the late eighteenth century, inscribed with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and a translation of them in Greek. The stone proved to be the key to understanding Egyptian writing.

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A “Rosetta stone” is the key to understanding a complex problem.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Rosetta Stone Rosetta stone

"It's a stepping stone to Mars, where we might have the most likelihood of finding evidence of past life, but it's also a Rosetta Stone for how other solar systems form."

From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026

For now, I continue to study the photos of my polyps like they’re the Rosetta Stone and find solace that I asked for the earlier colonoscopy instead of the later one.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026

“NVQLink is the Rosetta Stone connecting quantum and classical supercomputers,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025

There's also no bilingual artefact like the Rosetta Stone, which helped scholars decode Egyptian hieroglyphs.

From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2025

If true, this meant to Francis that proteins would not be the Rosetta Stone for unraveling the true secret of life.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

The Riemann Hypothesis, often considered the most difficult and important problem in all of mathematics, would serve as a Rosetta stone revealing the secrets of the primes.

From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2026

To this day, there remains no better Rosetta stone for deciphering the Nirvana generation’s view of work than 1999’s “Office Space.”

From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2024

The set started with “Nightshift” and “Arabian Knights,” both from “Juju,” the 1981 album that is goth’s Rosetta stone.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2023

“Bella is like a Rosetta stone for young people,” he added.

From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2023

One interpreter glanced at the Rosetta stone, whose hieroglyphic inscription was then still undeciphered, and instantly announced its meaning.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan