lodestar

[ lohd-stahr ]

/ ˈloʊdˌstɑr /

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noun

a star that shows the way.

Polaris.

something that serves as a guide or on which the attention is fixed.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Also load·star .

Origin of lodestar

First recorded in 1325–75, lodestar is from Middle English loode sterre. See lode, star

Words nearby lodestar

locutorium, locutory, Lod, lode, loden, lodestar, lodestone, lodge, lodged, Lodgepole Creek, lodgepole pine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use lodestar in a sentence

Citizenship and dignity—these are the lodestars of civil rights legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race or disability or other human difference.
How to Build a Society for All to Enjoy - Issue 107: The Edge|Kathryn Paige Harden|September 29, 2021|Nautilus
Invoking Wilberforce allows conservatives like DeMint to pretend that he, not Calhoun, is their moral lodestar and inspiration.
What Plantation Is Jim DeMint Living On?|Michael Tomasky|April 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Every man must have a woman as a lodestar; you are to be that to me.
A Book o' Nine Tales.|Arlo Bates
"Lodestar" really was a good word for the attraction, I thought, and I would repeat it to the chauffeur.
The Motor Maid|Alice Muriel Williamson and Charles Norris Williamson

The lodestar of his hopes is liberty, his main end the establishment of "a free commonwealth."
Milton|Sir Walter Alexander Raleigh
She was immediately spellbound by Franz's music, and he became the lodestar of her dreams.
Orpheus in Mayfair and Other Stories and Sketches|Maurice Baring
What do they say up in the carbonate camp about the Lodestar business?
The Helpers|Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for lodestar

lodestar

loadstar

/ (ˈləʊdˌstɑː) /

noun

a star, esp the North Star, used in navigation or astronomy as a point of reference

something that serves as a guide or model

Word Origin for lodestar

C14: literally, guiding star. See lode

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for lodestar

lodestar

A star, especially Polaris, that is used as a point of reference.

lodestar

Origin of lodestar

Words nearby lodestar

Words related to lodestar

How to use lodestar in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lodestar

loadstar

Word Origin for lodestar

Scientific definitions for lodestar