noun
Meaning 1
A chief support.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Agriculture is the mainstay of this country’s economy.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
mainstay
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈmeɪn.steɪ/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: M EY1 N S T EY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Someone or something that can be depended on to make a regular contribution.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A stabilising rope from high on the mainmast to the base of the foremast.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: nautical, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
the forestay that braces the mainmast
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: forestay
noun
Meaning 5
a central cohesive source of support and stability
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- faith is his anchor
- the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money
- he is the linchpin of this firm
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: anchor, keystone, backbone, linchpin, lynchpin
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: support
noun
Meaning 6
a prominent supporter
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he is a pillar of the community
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pillar
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: supporter, protagonist, champion, admirer, booster, friend
History
Etymology
From Middle English main stai, equivalent to main + stay (“rope”).
Across languages
Translations
49 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: опора (opora) — chief support
- Bulgarian: устои (ustoi) — chief support
- Catalan: puntal — chief support
- Chinese Mandarin: 支柱 (zhīzhù) — chief support
- Chinese Mandarin: 中流砥柱 (zhōngliúdǐzhù) — chief support
- Dutch: hoofdpijler — chief support
- Dutch: steunpilaar — chief support
- Esperanto: ĉefsubtenanto — chief support
- Esperanto: ĉefsubtenantilo — chief support
- Estonian: tugisammas — chief support
- Finnish: tukipilari — chief support
- Finnish: selkäranka — chief support
- Finnish: kulmakivi — chief support
- French: pilier — chief support
- German: Stütze — chief support
- German: tragende Säule — chief support
- German: Stützpfeiler — chief support
- German: Standbein — chief support
- Hungarian: támasz — chief support
- Hungarian: erősség — chief support
- Hungarian: bástya — chief support
- Hungarian: oszlop — chief support
- Hungarian: pillér — chief support
- Hungarian: talpkő — chief support
- Irish: comhla chatha — chief support
- Italian: base — chief support
- Italian: pilastro — chief support
- Portuguese: carro-chefe — chief support
- Russian: опло́т (oplót) — chief support
- Russian: опо́ра (opóra) — chief support
- Russian: тверды́ня (tverdýnja) — chief support
- Spanish: pilar — chief support
- Swedish: stöttepelare — chief support
- Swedish: hörnsten — chief support
- Finnish: kantava voima — something that can be depended on to make a regular contribution
- German: feste Größe — something that can be depended on to make a regular contribution
- Korean: 기둥 (gidung) — something that can be depended on to make a regular contribution
- Bulgarian: гротщаг (grotštag) — nautical: stabilizing rope
- Catalan: estai major — nautical: stabilizing rope
- Dutch: grootstag — nautical: stabilizing rope
- Estonian: groottaak — nautical: stabilizing rope
- Finnish: isoharus — nautical: stabilizing rope
- French: grand étai — nautical: stabilizing rope
- German: Großstag — nautical: stabilizing rope
- German: Hauptstag — nautical: stabilizing rope
- Portuguese: esteio — nautical: stabilizing rope
- Russian: гро́та-шта́г (gróta-štág) — nautical: stabilizing rope
- Spanish: estay mayor — nautical: stabilizing rope
- Swedish: storstag — nautical: stabilizing rope