Mainstay - English meaning

noun

A heavy object attached to a cable or chain and used to moor a ship to the sea bottom, typically having a metal shank with a pair of curved, barbed flukes at one end.

Usage examples:

The boat, no longer held fast by its anchor, swung wildly

verb

Moor (a ship) to the sea bottom with an anchor.

Usage examples:

The ship was anchored in the lee of the island

noun

A heavy metal object attached to a boat by a rope or chain that, when dropped into the water and resting on the bottom, keeps the boat from moving

Usage examples:

We dropped the anchor and took out our fishing rods., she’s looking for a spiritual anchor., the ma…

noun

The series of vertebrae extending from the skull to the pelvis; the spine.

Usage examples:

Prickles of sweat broke out along her backbone

noun

Your spine

Usage examples:

Newcomers are now the backbone of this team., the delegates had enough backbone to reject the propo…

noun

The most important part of something

Usage examples:

Small businesses are truly the backbone of the economy., imaginative ideas may form the backbone of…

noun

The lowest part or edge of something, especially the part on which it rests or is supported.

Usage examples:

She sat down at the base of a tree

verb

Use (something specified) as the foundation or starting point for something.

Usage examples:

The film is based on a novel by pat conroy

adjective

Without moral principles; ignoble.

Usage examples:

The electorate's baser instincts of greed and selfishness

noun

A projecting part of a fortification built at an angle to the line of a wall, so as to allow defensive fire in several directions.

Usage examples:

A large area was enclosed by a defensive wall with bastions and monumental gates, and the natural s…

noun

A defensive wall.

Usage examples:

After landing virtually unopposed, the fifth corps moved toward the san juan heights, the principal…

noun

Something that protects you from dangerous or unpleasant situations

Usage examples:

My savings were to be a bulwark against unemployment.

noun

A structure of stone or brick built against a wall to strengthen or support it.

Usage examples:

The cathedral's massive buttresses

verb

Provide (a building or structure) with buttresses.

Usage examples:

We buttressed the wall as it was showing signs of cracking and collapse

verb

To give support to or strengthen something

Usage examples:

He looked for things that would buttress the prosecution case and win a conviction.

noun

An ornament or display placed in the middle of a dining table.

Usage examples:

Noelle lifted her eyes from the table's centerpiece, a flower display.

noun

An important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based.

Usage examples:

A national minimum wage remained the cornerstone of policy

noun

A large stone near the base of a building where two walls meet, often giving information about the building and sometimes put in position with a ceremony

Usage examples:

A large group of officials attended a cornerstone laying at that new plant., funds for the school s…

noun

The lowest load-bearing part of a building, typically below ground level.

Usage examples:

Foundations were being dug for a block of flats

noun

The base that is built below the surface of the ground to support a building

Usage examples:

A concrete foundation, fig. the two leaders have laid the foundations of a new era of cooperation b…

noun

An organization that has been started in order to provide money for a particular group of people or for a particular type of research

Usage examples:

He gave £1m to set up a charitable foundation to help vulnerable young people., he helped lead the …

noun

A person or thing vital to an enterprise or organization.

Usage examples:

Nurses are the linchpin of the national health service

noun

A person or thing that is the most important part of a group or system’s operation

Usage examples:

The city’s river park is the linchpin of its efforts to sell itself as a vacation destination.

noun

The most important member of a group or part of a system, that holds together the other members or parts or makes it possible for them to operate as intended

Usage examples:

Linchpin of sth consumer spending is the linchpin of the economy.

noun

A tall vertical structure of stone, wood, or metal, used as a support for a building, or as an ornament or monument.

Usage examples:

Every bungalow is supported on stone pillars, which permits us to maintain the natural terrain and …

noun

A strong vertical column made of stone, metal, or wood that supports part of a building or stands alone for decoration

Usage examples:

He’s a pillar of the dallas business community.

noun

A pole or beam used as a temporary support or to keep something in position.

Usage examples:

He looked around for a prop to pin the door open

verb

Support or keep in position.

Usage examples:

She propped her chin in the palm of her right hand

noun

A portable object other than furniture or costumes used on the set of a play or film.

Usage examples:

The exhibition features props and costumes from the show's incredible 49-year history

abbreviation

Recto.

noun

The eighteenth letter of the alphabet.

noun

A number between +1 and −1 calculated so as to represent the linear interdependence of two variables or sets of data.

noun

A piece of tough fibrous tissue uniting muscle to bone; a tendon or ligament.

Usage examples:

The sinews in her neck

noun

A strong cord of muscle found in meat; a tendon

Usage examples:

Lean, sinewy thighs