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polestar

[pohl-stahr]

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noun

something that serves as a guiding principle.

something that is the center of attention or attraction.

Origin of polestar

First recorded in 1545–55; pole² + star

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

Examples from the Web for pole-star

Historical Examples of pole-star

I knew that constellation, for by it one of the men had taught me to find the pole-star.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
He clung to all three, he grappled them to him; they were his sheet-anchor and his pole-star.
The Scapegoat
Hall Caine
Some duties are so clear that they shine like the pole-star which guides the mariner.
The Faith Doctor
Edward Eggleston
Let the constitution be the pole-star to direct you: without it there can be no happiness for you nor for us.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil
Maria Graham
It is used, in a figurative sense, as synonymous with pole-star, or guide.
A Treatise on Domestic Economy
Catherine Esther Beecher

Word Origin and History for pole-star

n.

the North Star (see Polaris), 1550s, from pole (n.2) + star (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper