English Meaning & Definitions
A person or thing that plays a most important part in making something work or staying operational; a chief support.
- โAgriculture remains the mainstay of the country's economy.โ
- โShe has been the mainstay of the local theater group for over twenty years.โ
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for โmainstayโ.
Derived from nautical terminology, combining 'main' (chief or principal) and 'stay' (a large, strong rope that supports a ship's mainmast). Historically, the main-stay was critical for keeping a ship upright and stable during violent storms, which naturally evolved into its figurative use for anything that provides essential support or stability to an organization, plan, or institution.
Think of a ship's MAIN mast staying upright because of a strong rope: the MAIN-STAY.
Frequently Asked Questions About โmainstayโ
1. What is the meaning of โmainstayโ in English?
In English, mainstay (noun) is defined as: โA person or thing that plays a most important part in making something work or staying operational; a chief support.โ.
2. How do you use โmainstayโ in a sentence?
โAgriculture remains the mainstay of the country's economy.โ
3. What are English synonyms of โmainstayโ?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of โmainstayโ?
Derived from nautical terminology, combining 'main' (chief or principal) and 'stay' (a large, strong rope that supports a ship's mainmast). Historically, the main-stay was critical for keeping a ship upright and stable during violent storms, which naturally evolved into its figurative use for anything that provides essential support or stability to an organization, plan, or institution.
๐ฌ๐งMore English Words to English
View all English words โThe base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.