cornerstone

[kawr-ner-stohn]

noun

1. a stone uniting two masonry walls at an intersection.

2. a stone representing the nominal starting place in the construction of a monumental building, usually carved with the date and laid with appropriate ceremonies.

3. something that is essential, indispensable, or basic.

   The cornerstone of democratic government is a free press.

4. the chief foundation on which something is constructed or developed.

   The cornerstone of his argument was that all people are created equal.

cornerstone

/ ˈkɔːnəˌstəʊn /

noun

1. a stone at the corner of a wall, uniting two intersecting walls; quoin

2. a stone placed at the corner of a building during a ceremony to mark the start of construction

3. a person or thing of prime importance; basis

   the cornerstone of the whole argument

Word History and Origins

Origin of cornerstone¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; corner, stone

Example Sentences

Accurate pricing data, labor estimates, and other economic information are the cornerstone by which the Fed sets its policy decisions.

Read more on Barron's

Having been married for more than 55 years, Dr. Cohen credits his family's steady support as a cornerstone of his long and productive career.

Read more on Science Daily

Instead, in 1917-1921, we had totally craven state governments who rushed to pass their own versions of the federal law that was the cornerstone of the repression, the Espionage Act.

Read more on Salon

Today, the country finds itself a cornerstone in NATO’s planning for a conflict with Russia, and a crucial partner for the smaller Baltic countries of the alliance’s eastern flank, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

More than a century after its opening, the canal remains an unparalleled triumph of infrastructure and a cornerstone of our globalized economy, in which 80% of trade moves by sea.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• essential 
• foundation 
• keystone 
• linchpin 
• mainstay 
• pillar