Hypertext Webster Gateway: "mainstay"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
mainstay
n 1: a prominent supporter; "he is a pillar of the community"
[syn: {pillar}]
2: a central cohesive source of support and stability: "faith
is his anchor"; "he is the linchpin of this firm" [syn: {anchor},
{backbone}, {linchpin}, {lynchpin}]
3: the forestay that braces the mainmast
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