/ ˈmeɪnsteɪ; NAmE / noun
[ usually sing. ] mainstay (of sth) a person or thing that is the most important part of sth and enables it to exist or be successful :
Cocoa is the country's economic mainstay.
/ ˈmeɪnsteɪ; NAmE / noun
[ usually sing. ] mainstay (of sth) a person or thing that is the most important part of sth and enables it to exist or be successful :
Cocoa is the country's economic mainstay.
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне. 2005