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Mainstay   /mˈeɪnstˌeɪ/   Listen
Mainstay

noun
1.
A prominent supporter.  Synonym: pillar.
2.
A central cohesive source of support and stability.  Synonyms: anchor, backbone, keystone, linchpin, lynchpin.  "The keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money" , "He is the linchpin of this firm"
3.
The forestay that braces the mainmast.





WordNet 3.0 © 2010 Princeton University


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"Mainstay" Quotes from Famous Books



... their mainstay, their guide, the best part of their youth, of that happy portion of their lives which had vanished; she had been the bond that united them to existence, the mother, the mamma, the creative flesh, the tie that bound ...
— The Works of Guy de Maupassant, Volume VIII. • Guy de Maupassant
... invested largely in the shares of the old Bank of the United States, and in 1812, purchased its building and succeeded to much of its business. He was the financial mainstay of the government during the second war with England—in fact, it was he who made the financing of the war possible. And yet he was, to all outward appearances, a singularly repulsive and hard-fisted old miser. In early youth, an unfortunate accident had caused the loss of one eye, and ...
— American Men of Mind • Burton E. Stevenson
... Overview: The mainstay of Andorra's economy is tourism. An estimated 13 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and by its summer and winter resorts. The banking sector, with its "tax haven" status, also contributes significantly ...
— The 1993 CIA World Factbook • United States. Central Intelligence Agency.
... know the nater of the oath you're about to take. For over two years you've been the mainstay an' support of your mother. You've had to carry the burdens and responsibilities of a man, Davy. The testimony you give in this case will be the truth, the whole truth an' nothin' but the truth, so help you ...
— O Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1919 • Various
... Ebenezer Webster knew that he was old before his time and not destined to many more years of life. With the perfect and self-sacrificing courage which he always showed, he did not shrink from this new demand, although Ezekiel was the prop and mainstay of the house. He did not think for a moment of himself, yet, while he gave his consent, he made it conditional on that of the mother and daughters whom he felt he was soon to leave. But Mrs. Webster had the same spirit as her husband. She was ready to sell ...
— Daniel Webster • Henry Cabot Lodge


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