mainspring

The outer end of the mainspring is attached to the rim of the barrel, and the inner end to the barrel arbor.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various
Unless this double mainspring is known, the conduct of Catherine de' Medici will remain forever misunderstood.
Catherine de' Medici|Honore de Balzac
To such religion was the mainspring which kept the whole intellect going; and religion was to be had at the meeting.
East Anglia|J. Ewing Ritchie
All the old restraints were wanting, and self-interest alone formed the mainspring of action.
The Influence and Development of English Gilds|Francis Aiden Hibbert

Fingering is the mainspring, the determining principle, one might almost say the life and soul, of the pianoforte technique.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks

British Dictionary definitions for mainspring

mainspring

/ (ˈmeɪnˌsprɪŋ) /

noun

the principal power spring of a mechanism, esp in a watch or clock

the chief cause or motive of something

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

mainspring

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British Dictionary definitions for mainspring