All mainspring synonyms

noun mainspring

• base — The base of something is its lowest edge or part.
• theme — a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; topic: The need for world peace was the theme of the meeting.
• heart — Anatomy. a hollow, pumplike organ of blood circulation, composed mainly of rhythmically contractile smooth muscle, located in the chest between the lungs and slightly to the left and consisting of four chambers: a right atrium that receives blood returning from the body via the superior and inferior vena cavae, a right ventricle that pumps the blood through the pulmonary artery to the lungs for oxygenation, a left atrium that receives the oxygenated blood via the pulmonary veins and passes it through the mitral valve, and a left ventricle that pumps the oxygenated blood, via the aorta, throughout the body.
• ground — the act of grinding.
• motivation — the act or an instance of motivating, or providing with a reason to act in a certain way: I don't understand what her motivation was for quitting her job. Synonyms: motive, inspiration, inducement, cause, impetus.
• matter — a dull or dead surface, often slightly roughened, as on metals, paint, paper, or glass.
• motive — something that causes a person to act in a certain way, do a certain thing, etc.; incentive.
• purpose — the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.
• mainstay — Nautical. the stay that secures the mainmast forward.
• 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.
• keystone — the wedge-shaped piece at the summit of an arch, regarded as holding the other pieces in place.
• linchpin — a pin inserted through the end of an axletree to keep the wheel on.
• geyser — a hot spring that intermittently sends up fountainlike jets of water and steam into the air.
• stream — a body of water flowing in a channel or watercourse, as a river, rivulet, or brook. Synonyms: rill, run, streamlet, runnel.
• reservoir — a small body of standing water; pond.
• impulse — the influence of a particular feeling, mental state, etc.: to act under a generous impulse; to strike out at someone from an angry impulse.
• influence — the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others: He used family influence to get the contract.
• intention — an act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result.
• intent — something that is intended; purpose; design; intention: The original intent of the committee was to raise funds.
• rationale — the fundamental reason or reasons serving to account for something.
• passion — any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.
• feeling — a quality of an object that is perceived by feeling or touching: the soft feel of cotton.
• connection — A connection is a relationship between two things, people, or groups.
• ancestry — Your ancestry is the fact that you are descended from certain people.
• ancestor — Your ancestors are the people from whom you are descended.
• stem — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, considered as a group of academic or career fields (often used attributively): degree programs in STEM disciplines; teaching STEM in high school.
• origin — something from which anything arises or is derived; source; fountainhead: to follow a stream to its origin.
• substance — that of which a thing consists; physical matter or material: form and substance.
• basis — If something is done on a particular basis, it is done according to that method, system, or principle.
• pith — Botany. the soft, spongy central cylinder of parenchymatous tissue in the stems of dicotyledonous plants.
• soul — the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.
• source — any thing or place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained; origin: Which foods are sources of calcium?
• stuff — the material of which anything is made: a hard, crystalline stuff.
• principle — an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct: a person of good moral principles.
• marrow — a partner; fellow worker.
• quintessence — the pure and concentrated essence of a substance.
• root — Elihu [el-uh-hyoo] /ˈɛl əˌhyu/ (Show IPA), 1845–1937, U.S. lawyer and statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1912.
• cause — a person or thing that acts, happens, or exists in such a way that some specific thing happens as a result; the producer of an effect: You have been the cause of much anxiety. What was the cause of the accident?
• producer — a person who produces.
• creator — The creator of something is the person who made it or invented it.
• spring — String PRocessING language
• instigation — the act of instigating; incitement.
• author — The author of a piece of writing is the person who wrote it.
• agency — An agency is a business which provides a service on behalf of other businesses.
• stimulation — to rouse to action or effort, as by encouragement or pressure; spur on; incite: to stimulate his interest in mathematics.
• doer — a person or thing that does something, especially a person who gets things done with vigor and efficiency.
• genesis — an origin, creation, or beginning.
• inducement — the act of inducing.
• foundation — the basis or groundwork of anything: the moral foundation of both society and religion.
• object — anything that is visible or tangible and is relatively stable in form.