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- DictionaryMain·stay/ˈmānˌstā/
noun
- 1. a person or thing on which something else is based or depends: "farming is the mainstay of the rural economy"
- 2. a stay that extends from the maintop to the foot of the foremast of a sailing ship.
The meaning of MAINSTAY is a crucial or key part of something. How to use mainstay in a sentence.
MAINSTAY definition: 1. the most important part of something, providing support for everything else: 2. the most…. Learn more.
a person or thing that acts as a chief support or part: Coffee is the mainstay of the country's economy. Synonyms: prop, anchor, bulwark, pillar. mainstay. / ˈmeɪnˌsteɪ / noun. nautical the forestay that braces the mainmast. a chief support. Discover More. Word History and Origins. Origin of mainstay 1. First recorded in 1475–85; main 1 + stay 2.
A mainstay is something that acts as a source of support for a community. If your hometown's economy depends on tourists visiting every summer, you could say that tourism is the mainstay of your town.
MAINSTAY meaning: 1. the most important part of something, providing support for everything else: 2. the most…. Learn more.
Define mainstay. mainstay synonyms, mainstay pronunciation, mainstay translation, English dictionary definition of mainstay. n. 1. A chief support: Agriculture is a mainstay of the economy. 2. Nautical A stay running forward from the mainmast to the deck of a sailing vessel....
If you describe something as the mainstay of a particular thing, you mean that it is the most basic part of it. Fish and rice were the mainstays of the country's diet.