Mainstay: meaning, definitions and examples
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mainstay
[ ˈmeɪnsteɪ ]
noun
A person or thing on which something else is based or depends.
Synonyms
backbone, cornerstone, foundation, pillar
Examples of usage
- The family business was the mainstay of the community.
- She was the mainstay of the organization, always reliable and hardworking.
Translations
Translations of the word "mainstay" in other languages:
🇵🇹 principal
- sustentáculo
- pilar
🇮🇳 मुख्य आधार
🇩🇪 Hauptstütze
- Stütze
- Pfeiler
🇮🇩 penopang utama
- andalan
- pilar
🇺🇦 основна опора
- стовп
- головний елемент
🇵🇱 podpora
- główny filar
- ostoja
🇯🇵 大黒柱
- 主柱
- 支柱
🇫🇷 pilier principal
- pilier
- soutien
🇪🇸 pilar principal
- puntal
- soporte
🇹🇷 ana direk
- temel destek
- ana unsur
🇰🇷 주축
- 주요 기둥
- 지주
🇸🇦 دعامة رئيسية
- ركيزة
- عمود
🇨🇿 hlavní opora
- pilíř
- podpora
🇸🇰 hlavná opora
- pilier
- podpora
🇨🇳 主要支柱
- 中流砥柱
- 支撑
🇸🇮 glavni opornik
- steber
- podpora
🇮🇸 aðalstoð
- meginstoð
- stoð
🇰🇿 негізгі тірек
- тірек
- баған
🇬🇪 ძირითადი საყრდენი
- მთავარი სვეტი
- საყრდენი
🇦🇿 əsas dəstək
- sütun
- dayaqlıq
🇲🇽 pilar principal
- puntal
- soporte
Word origin
The word 'mainstay' originated in the mid-17th century, combining 'main' (from Latin 'manus' meaning 'hand') and 'stay' (from Old English 'stāg'). Initially used in a nautical context to refer to a stay that supports the mast of a sailing ship, it later evolved to also mean a person or thing that is a central or essential part of something.
See also: main, mainland, mainly, mainstream.