rubicon

From the phrase cross the Rubicon (“to make an irreversible decision or to take an action with consequences”). Julius Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon, a small river in northeastern Italy, on 10 January 49 B.C.E., indicated his intention to start a civil war with Pompey. Rubicon is derived from Latin Rubicō, Rubicōn (“the Rubicon”),[1] possibly from rubeus (“red, reddish”), from rubeō (“to be red”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- (“red”), an allusion to the colour of the river caused by mud deposits.

The verb is derived from the noun.[2]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹuːbɪkɒn/, /-k(ə)n/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɹubəˌkɑn/

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• Hyphenation: ru‧bi‧con

rubicon (plural rubicons)

1. A limit that when exceeded, or an action that when taken, cannot be reversed.

   Synonym: point of no return

2. (card games) Especially in bezique and piquet: a score which, if not achieved by a losing player, increases the player's penalty.

• Rubicon

• cross the Rubicon

rubicon (third-person singular simple present rubicons, present participle rubiconing, simple past and past participle rubiconed)

1. (transitive, card games) Especially in bezique and piquet: to defeat a player who has not achieved the rubicon.

• Rubicon on Wikipedia.Wikipedia