Adjacent Words

mainstay definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a prominent supporter; "he is a pillar of the community" [syn: pillar, mainstay]
2: a central cohesive source of support and stability; "faith is his anchor"; "the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money"; "he is the linchpin of this firm" [syn: anchor, mainstay, keystone, backbone, linchpin, lynchpin]
3: the forestay that braces the mainmast

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 15th century 1. a ship's stay extending from the maintop forward usually to the foot of the foremast 2. a chief support

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a chief support (has been his mainstay since his trouble). 2 Naut. a stay from the maintop to the foot of the foremast.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mainstay Main"stay`, n. 1. (Naut.) The stay extending from the foot of the foremast to the maintop. 2. Main support; principal dependence. The great mainstay of the Church. --Buckle.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(mainstays) If you describe something as the mainstay of a particular thing, you mean that it is the most basic part of it. Fish and rice were the mainstays of the country's diet... This principle of collective bargaining has been a mainstay in labor relations in this country. N-COUNT: usu the N of n

Moby Thesaurus

Maecenas, abettor, admirer, advocate, afford support, aficionado, alpenstock, angel, apologist, arm, athletic supporter, back, back up, backbone, backer, backing, bandeau, bear, bear up, bearer, bolster, bolster up, bra, brace, bracer, bracket, brassiere, buff, bulwark, buoy up, buttress, cane, carrier, carry, cervix, champion, corset, cradle, crook, crutch, cushion, defender, dependence, encourager, endorser, exponent, fan, favorer, foundation garment, friend at court, fulcrum, girdle, give support, guy, guywire, hold, hold up, jock, jockstrap, keep afloat, keep up, lend support, lover, main strength, maintain, maintainer, mast, neck, paranymph, partisan, patron, pillar, pillow, promoter, prop, protagonist, reinforce, reinforcement, reinforcer, reliance, rest, resting place, rigging, second, seconder, sectary, sheet anchor, shore, shore up, shoulder, shroud, sider, sinews, spine, sponsor, sprit, staff, stalwart, standby, standing rigging, stave, stay, stick, stiffener, strengthener, subsidize, subvention, support, supporter, sustain, sustainer, sympathizer, underbrace, undergird, underlie, underpin, underset, upbear, uphold, upholder, upkeep, votary, walking stick, well-wisher