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milestone

noun

  1. numbered marker along a road or boundary
  2. significant event in a process
L187264 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈmaɪlˌstoʊn/ / /ˈmaɪlstəʊn/

noun

Etymology: From mile + stone. Compare Dutch mijlsteen (“milestone”), German Low German Mielensteen (“milestone”), German Meilenstein (“milestone”), Swedish milsten (“milestone”).

  1. A stone milepost (or by extension in other materials), one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road at regular intervals, typically at the side of the road or in a median.
  2. An important event in a person's life or career, in the history of a nation, in the life of some project, etc.

    Death is another milestone on their way.

    Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work.

verb

Etymology: From mile + stone. Compare Dutch mijlsteen (“milestone”), German Low German Mielensteen (“milestone”), German Meilenstein (“milestone”), Swedish milsten (“milestone”).

  1. To place milestones along (a road, etc.).
  2. To plan out a project as a series of major steps.