Jacob's ladder

English
Creeping Jacob’s ladder (flowering plant), Polemonium reptans.

Etymology

After the Biblical Jacob's ladder.

Noun

Jacob's ladder (plural Jacob's ladders)

  1. A flowering plant of the genus Polemonium.
  2. (nautical) A vertical ladder from the ratline to the upper masts.
  3. A toy consisting of blocks of wood, held together by strings or ribbons, that appear to cascade downward as they flip over.
  4. A pocketknife consisting of two handle segments joined by a pivot, with a blade connected by a second pivot to the end of one handle segment.
  5. (mathematics) A noncompact surface resembling a ladder made of handlebodies.
  6. A high-voltage electrical device used as a visual effect in old movies which has a pair of vertical electrodes that form an arc between them starting at the bottom, rising to the top, then repeating.
  7. (Britain) A serving of short ribs.
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