mainstay

[meyn-stey]

noun

1. Nautical.,  the stay that secures the mainmast forward.

2. a person or thing that acts as a chief support or part.

   Coffee is the mainstay of the country's economy.

   Synonyms: prop, anchor, bulwark, pillar

mainstay

/ ˈmeɪnˌsteɪ /

noun

1. nautical the forestay that braces the mainmast

2. a chief support

Word History and Origins

Origin of mainstay¹

First recorded in 1475–85; main ¹ + stay ²

Example Sentences

You know the species because androids have been a mainstay of science fiction since before Isaac Asimov coined the “three laws of robotics” for a novelette published in 1942.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

With nearly a quarter of the season already gone, it looks like two mainstays of the league in recent campaigns will be scrapping to avoid finishing 12th.

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In that short time, her salary has become the mainstay of her household.

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Together, the Campbells were mainstays of the Edinburgh political scene.

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But how did E. coli come to be such a mainstay of biotechnology, why is it so useful and what might its future hold?

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Related Words

• backbone 
• bulwark 
• linchpin 
• pillar