Mainstay
/ˈmeɪn.steɪ/noun
Something or someone that provides essential support or stability.
Did you know?Mainstay began as a nautical term for a major support rope on a sailing ship, and only later became a metaphor for the thing that keeps everything from drifting apart.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
mægen
“strength, main power”
Old English
OE
stæg
“rope or stay supporting a mast”
Middle English
ME
mayn-stay
“the principal stay or supporting rope on a ship”
16th Century
English
mainstay
“the chief support of a ship's mast”
Modern English
English
mainstay
“a principal support or essential element”