Definition: mainstay

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Source: WordNet (r) 1.7 

mainstay
     n 1: a prominent supporter; "he is a pillar of the community"
          [syn: pillar]
     2: a central cohesive source of support and stability: "faith
        is his anchor"; "he is the linchpin of this firm" [syn: anchor,
         backbone, linchpin, lynchpin]
     3: the forestay that braces the mainmast

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) 

Mainstay \Main"stay`\, n.
   1. (Naut.) The stay extending from the foot of the foremast
      to the maintop.

   2. Main support; principal dependence.

            The great mainstay of the Church.     --Buckle.