Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
MAINSTAY
mainstay
(noun) the forestay that braces the mainmast
anchor, mainstay, keystone, backbone, linchpin, lynchpin
(noun) 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”
pillar, mainstay
(noun) a prominent supporter; “he is a pillar of the community”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
mainstay (plural mainstays)
A chief support.
Someone or something that can be depended on to make a regular contribution.
(nautical) A stabilising rope from the top of the mainmast to the bottom of the foremast.
Anagrams
• Mayanist
Source: Wiktionary
Main"stay`, n.
1. (Naut.)
Definition: The stay extending from the foot of the foremast to the maintop.
2. Main support; principal dependence. The great mainstay of the Church. Buckle.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
3 April 2025
WHOLE
(noun) an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; “how big is that part compared to the whole?”; “the team is a unit”
Coffee Trivia
