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. 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

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

But first he needs a codebreaker, a translation sheet — sort of a Rosetta stone to decipher the handwriting of the ancient atmosphere.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 23, 2021

We have lacked the Rosetta stone of protein structure to translate between the starting point of genes and the end point of bodily functions.

From Scientific American • Jun. 22, 2021

The transliteration of a cartouche of Ptolemy from the Rosetta stone and one of Cleopatra from the Philae obelisk.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan