linchpin
Americannoun
-
a pin inserted through the end of an axletree to keep the wheel on.
-
something that holds the various elements of a complicated structure together.
The monarchy was the linchpin of the nation's traditions and society.
noun
-
a pin placed transversely through an axle to keep a wheel in position
-
a person or thing regarded as an essential or coordinating element
the linchpin of the company
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of linchpin
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The “Crossfire” confrontation is a linchpin in this story, but as Zengerle reminds readers, it’s not as cut-and-dry as a comic book villain origin story would be.
From Salon
Root's patience at the crease, deft footwork and reading of spin made him the linchpin of England's chase and once he settled in, Sri Lanka found it difficult to know where to bowl to him.
From BBC
As founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, both countries also have considered Greenland a linchpin of NATO’s security.
Japan is the natural linchpin in a new era of Indo-Pacific-Middle East relations.
Strong export controls are the linchpin to keeping the lead.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
