'Rubicon' definitions:
Definition of 'Rubicon'
(from WordNet)
noun
The boundary in ancient times between Italy and Gaul; Caesar's crossing it with his army in 49 BC was an act of war
noun
A line that when crossed permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment [syn: Rubicon, point of no return]
Definition of 'Rubicon'
From: GCIDE
- Rubicon \Ru"bi*con\, prop. n. (Anc. geog.) A small river which separated Italy from Cisalpine Gaul, the province alloted to Julius Caesar. [1913 Webster]
- Note: By leading an army across this river, contrary to the prohibition of the civil government at Rome, Caesar precipitated the civil war which resulted in the death of Pompey and the overthrow of the senate; hence, the phrase
- to pass the Rubicon 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. [1913 Webster]