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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Mainstay \Main"stay'\, noun
1. (Naut.) The stay extending from the foot of the foremast to the maintop.
2. Main support; principal dependence.
The great mainstay of the Church. --Buckle.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
mainstay
noun
1: a prominent supporter; "he is a pillar of the community" [syn: {pillar}]
2: a central cohesive source of support and stability; "faith is his anchor"; "the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money"; "he is the linchpin of this firm" [syn: {anchor}, {keystone}, {backbone}, {linchpin}, {lynchpin}]
3: the forestay that braces the mainmast
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
124 Moby Thesaurus words for "mainstay": Maecenas, abettor, admirer, advocate, afford support, aficionado, alpenstock, angel, apologist, arm, athletic supporter, back, back up, backbone, backer, backing, bandeau, bear, bear up, bearer, bolster, bolster up, bra, brace, bracer, bracket, brassiere, buff, bulwark, buoy up, buttress, cane, carrier, carry, cervix, champion, corset, cradle, crook, crutch, cushion, defender, dependence, encourager, endorser, exponent, fan, favorer, foundation garment, friend at court, fulcrum, girdle, give support, guy, guywire, hold, hold up, jock, jockstrap, keep afloat, keep up, lend support, lover, main strength, maintain, maintainer, mast, neck, paranymph, partisan, patron, pillar, pillow, promoter, prop, protagonist, reinforce, reinforcement, reinforcer, reliance, rest, resting place, rigging, second, seconder, sectary, sheet anchor, shore, shore up, shoulder, shroud, sider, sinews, spine, sponsor, sprit, staff, stalwart, standby, standing rigging, stave, stay, stick, stiffener, strengthener, subsidize, subvention, support, supporter, sustain, sustainer, sympathizer, underbrace, undergird, underlie, underpin, underset, upbear, uphold, upholder, upkeep, votary, walking stick, well-wisher
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |