mainstay

n.

1. A chief support: Agriculture is a mainstay of the economy.
2. Nautical. A strong rope that serves to steady and support the mainmast of a sailing vessel.

(MAYN-stay)

noun
A chief support or main part.

Etymology
On a sailing ship, the mainstay is a strong rope that secures the mainmast. The noun stay (a heavy rope) is from Old English

Usage
"Syria's oil used to be the mainstay of the government's income, providing 70 percent of the country's export earnings. Now it is drying up so fast that Syria is expected to be a net importer of crude oil in just two years." — Nawara Mahfoud and Robert Worth; Syrians See an Economic Side to Peace; Daily News Egypt (Cairo); Aug 17, 2008.

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n

Definition: chief support
Antonyms: heterodox

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IN BRIEF: The line that runs forward from the upper part of the mast of a boat. Also: The chief support.

The secretary was the mainstay of the entire company.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - hovedstøtte, grundpille, bærende kraft

Nederlands (Dutch)
steunpilaar, grootstag

Français (French)
n. - (fig) pilier, base (de), (Naut) étai de grand mât

Deutsch (German)
n. - (Naut.) Großstag, (Haupt)stütze

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ναυτ.) πρότονος, στάντζος (μαϊστρας), (μτφ.) κύριο στήριγμα, στυλοβάτης

Italiano (Italian)
sostegno

Português (Portuguese)
n. - estai (m) (Náut.) (cabo que auxilia na sustentação do mastro)

Русский (Russian)
опора, главная поддержка

Español (Spanish)
n. - estay mayor, sostén, pilar, fundamento

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - storstag (sjö.), stöttepelare

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
支柱, 中流砥柱

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 支柱, 中流砥柱

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 주마스트를 앞쪽으로 버티는 밧줄

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - メーンステー, 頼みの綱

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) دعامه أساسيه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮תומך, מפרנס, משען ראשי‬

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