linchpin

Or lynch·pin

[linch-pin]

noun

1. a pin inserted through the end of an axletree to keep the wheel on.

2. something that holds the various elements of a complicated structure together.

   The monarchy was the linchpin of the nation's traditions and society.

linchpin

/ ˈlɪntʃˌpɪn /

noun

1. a pin placed transversely through an axle to keep a wheel in position

2. a person or thing regarded as an essential or coordinating element

   the linchpin of the company

Word History and Origins

Origin of linchpin¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; unexplained alteration of Middle English linpin, lynspin, equivalent to lyns, linch, lens, Old English lynis “axle-pin, axletree” (cognate with German Lünse ) + pin pin

Word History and Origins

Origin of linchpin¹

C14 lynspin, from Old English lynis

Example Sentences

Instructors “are the linchpin in whether AI enhances or undermines learning,” according to a new USC study.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"You make your Opry debut and your mom, dad and grandma come in town and it's this linchpin of your whole career," he says.

Read more on BBC

Once the linchpin of the high-tech boom of the 1990s, Intel has plainly lost its mojo.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The trees are also a linchpin of the Mojave Desert ecosystem.

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Still, Muncy figures to be a linchpin in the Dodgers’ long-term potential at the plate — with his recovery growing ever-steadily in importance as the rest of the lineup flounders in his wake.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• essential 
• foundation 
• keystone 
• mainstay 
• pillar 

When To Use

What does linchpin mean?

A linchpin is the person or thing that serves as the essential element in a complicated or delicate system or structure—the one that holds everything together.This sense of linchpin is based on its original, literal meaning: an actual pin used to attach a wheel to the axle of a carriage or wagon to keep the wheel from falling off. It’s a good metaphor: a linchpin is someone or something that keeps the wheels from falling off of an operation—they keep the whole thing working. It can also be spelled lynchpin.Example: Their point guard wasn’t their main scorer, but she was the linchpin to the team’s success, and they started to lose a lot of games after she was injured.