Join free

mainstay

English · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

mainstay

  • /ˈmeɪn.steɪ/

Where it comes from

From Middle English main stai, equivalent to main + stay (“rope”).

noun mainstays

  1. A chief support. Agriculture is the mainstay of this country’s economy.
  2. Someone or something that can be depended on to make a regular contribution. On the Bishops Stortford line, the crisis now seems to be over; the units designed for this service are the mainstay of the workings once again and although some of the inner suburban sets are still seen, very few L.T.S. Line units are noticeable.
  3. A stabilising rope from high on the mainmast to the base of the foremast.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: lynchpin, pillar, linchpin, anchor, backbone, subsistence, subject, sustenance, main, essential, principal, strut, based, basis, foundation, mainstream

Translations

Every language

noun chief support

Españolpilar
中文支柱 zhīzhù, 中流砥柱 zhōngliúdǐzhù
Portuguêscarro-chefe
Françaispilier
DeutschStütze, tragende Säule, Stützpfeiler, Standbein
Italianobase, pilastro
Русскийопло́т oplót, опо́ра opóra, тверды́ня tverdýnja

noun something that can be depended on to make a regular contribution

한국어기둥 gidung
Deutschfeste Größe

noun nautical: stabilizing rope

Españolestay mayor
Portuguêsesteio
Françaisgrand étai
DeutschGroßstag, Hauptstag
Русскийгро́та-шта́г gróta-štág

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"mainstay." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mainstay. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

mainstay. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mainstay

Chicago

"mainstay." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mainstay.

BibTeX
@misc{mainstay_2026,
  title = {mainstay},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mainstay},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}