mainstay

American  

[meyn-stey] / ˈmeɪnˌsteɪ /

noun

1. Nautical. the stay that secures the mainmast forward.

2. a person or thing that acts as a chief support or part.

   Coffee is the mainstay of the country's economy.

   Synonyms:

   prop, anchor, bulwark, pillar

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mainstay British  

/ ˈmeɪnˌsteɪ /

noun

1. nautical the forestay that braces the mainmast

2. a chief support

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Etymology

Origin of mainstay

First recorded in 1475–85; main ¹ + stay ²

Example Sentences

They weren’t always the flashiest businesses, but they built the Baltimore company into a grocery store mainstay.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I see him being a big success for England and being a mainstay for years."

From BBC

Troubled singer-songwriters are a mainstay in the mythology of American roots music.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Astros had been a mainstay atop the AL West for eight years — claiming seven division titles during that time — but now the division appears to be under new management.

From Los Angeles Times

Scams have become a "mainstay" of modern crime and are "increasingly difficult to investigate because of their transnational nature", said Jeffery Chin, deputy director at the police Scam Public Education Office.

From Barron's

Related Words

• backbone
• bulwark
• linchpin
• pillar