noun
Usage: usually capitalized J
Etymology: after Jacob (Israel), the eponymous ancestor of the twelve tribes of Israel in the Bible, who in a dream saw a ladder extending from earth to heaven (Gen 28:12), from Late Latin, from Greek Iakōb, from Hebrew Ya'ăqōbh
1.
a. : a pinnate-leaved European perennial herb ( Polemonium caeruleum ) with bright blue or white flowers — called also charity, Greek valerian
b. : any of several related American herbs (as P. vanbruntiae )
2. : carrion flower 1
3. : a marine ladder of rope or chain with wooden or iron rungs
4. : an elevator consisting typically of an endless chain and buckets used in lifting coal and other materials