lodestar

or load·star

[lohd-stahr]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lodestar ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a star that shows the way.

Polaris.

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

Origin of lodestar

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for lodestar

pattern, symbol, ideal, design, prototype, type, original, flare, lantern, radar, mentor, model, counselor, teacher, pilot, guidebook, manual, clue, catalog, handbook

Examples from the Web for lodestar

Historical Examples of lodestar

Since I have known you, you have been the lodestar of my existence, the fountain of my inspiration.
Happy Days
Alan Alexander Milne
Every man must have a woman as a lodestar; you are to be that to me.
A Book o' Nine Tales.
Arlo Bates
What do they say up in the carbonate camp about the Lodestar business?
The Helpers
Francis Lynde
And find what lodestar there draws Chartrien From constancy?
The Mortal Gods and Other Plays
Olive Tilford Dargan
You hold me as the lodestar holds the iron: I cannot but cling to you.
Dark Lady of the Sonnets
George Bernard Shaw

British Dictionary definitions for lodestar

lodestar

loadstar

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

Word Origin and History for lodestar

late 14c. (late 13c. as a surname), an old name for the pole star (cf. Old Norse leiðarstjarna) as the star that "leads the way" in navigation; from lode (n.) + star (n.). Figurative use from late 14c.

lodestar in Science

lodestar

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