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

To this day, there remains no better Rosetta stone for deciphering the Nirvana generation’s view of work than 1999’s “Office Space,” Mike Judge’s paean to the plight of the X-er cubicle drone.

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

Kullo is especially excited about the opportunity to collect richer data on African populations, which could essentially offer a Rosetta stone for understanding genetic variation throughout the world.

From Scientific American • Nov. 30, 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