steppingstone

[ step-ing-stohn ]

noun

1. a stone, or one of a line of stones, in shallow water, a marshy place, or the like, that is stepped on in crossing.
2. a stone for use in mounting or ascending.
3. any means or stage of advancement or improvement:

   She looked on the governorship as a steppingstone to the presidency.

Word History and Origins

Origin of steppingstone¹

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325

Example Sentences

The part-time work can also be a steppingstone toward a full-time position.

From Seattle Times

But it is the very concession to the will of the mob and its contempt for laws and communal norms that will be the lesson learned by those who see compromise more as a steppingstone to future conflict than a pathway to resolution.

From Seattle Times

The advance provides a steppingstone to the eventual construction of sophisticated, self-assembling devices at the nanoscale -- roughly the size of a single virus.

From Science Daily

And Emilia Mendieta, a friend and cinematographer, recalled Ms. Hutchins’s excitement to begin filming a western, recounting a phone call shortly before “Rust” began in which she explained that the movie “has horses and gunfights and we’re shooting out in the desert” and that “it’s a huge steppingstone” in her career.

From New York Times

Both father and son are on the loan and the deed, and they hope the purchase will be a steppingstone to solo homeownership for the younger Garcia, as soon as this year.

From Seattle Times