Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [meyn-stey]
- /ˈmeɪnˌsteɪ/
- /ˈmeɪn.steɪ/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [meyn-stey]
- /ˈmeɪnˌsteɪ/
Definitions of mainstay word
- noun mainstay Nautical. the stay that secures the mainmast forward. 1
- noun mainstay a person or thing that acts as a chief support or part: Coffee is the mainstay of the country's economy. 1
- noun mainstay A stay that extends from the maintop to the foot of the foremast of a sailing ship. 1
- noun mainstay support, sth relied on 1
- noun mainstay ship: supporting rope 1
- countable noun mainstay If you describe something as the mainstay of a particular thing, you mean that it is the most basic part of it. 0
Information block about the term
Origin of mainstay
First appearance:
before 1475 One of the 25% oldest English words
First recorded in 1475-85; main1 + stay2
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Mainstay
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
mainstay popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 70% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
mainstay usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for mainstay
noun mainstay
- pillar — an upright shaft or structure, of stone, brick, or other material, relatively slender in proportion to its height, and of any shape in section, used as a building support, or standing alone, as for a monument: Gothic pillars; a pillar to commemorate Columbus.
- backbone — Your backbone is the column of small linked bones down the middle of your back.
- bulwark — A bulwark against something protects you against it. A bulwark of something protects it.
- strength — the quality or state of being strong; bodily or muscular power; vigor.
- buttress — Buttresses are supports, usually made of stone or brick, that support a wall.
verb mainstay
- undergird — to strengthen; secure, as by passing a rope or chain under and around: to undergird a top-heavy load.
- shore up — a supporting post or beam with auxiliary members, especially one placed obliquely against the side of a building, a ship in drydock, or the like; prop; strut.
- upbear — to bear up; raise aloft; sustain or support.
Top questions with mainstay
- what does mainstay mean?
- what is a mainstay?
- what is mainstay?
- what is the meaning of mainstay?
- mainstay become who you are lyrics?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with m
- Words starting with ma
- Words starting with mai
- Words starting with main
- Words starting with mains
- Words starting with mainst
- Words starting with mainsta
- Words starting with mainstay