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



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Word of the Day

2 April 2025

COVERT

(adjective) secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; “covert actions by the CIA”; “covert funding for the rebels”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, on 25 September 2016, the Birla Institute of Management Technology (India) in Uttar Pradesh, India, constructed the largest coffee cups pyramid consisting of 23,821 cups. They used paper takeaway coffee cups to build the pyramid.

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