View synonyms for cornerstone

cornerstone

[ kawr-ner-stohn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a stone uniting two masonry walls at an intersection.
a stone representing the nominal starting place in the construction of a monumental building, usually carved with the date and laid with appropriate ceremonies.
something that is essential, indispensable, or basic:
The cornerstone of democratic government is a free press.
the chief foundation on which something is constructed or developed:
The cornerstone of his argument was that all people are created equal.

cornerstone

/ ˈkɔːnəˌstəʊn /

a stone at the corner of a wall, uniting two intersecting walls; quoin
a stone placed at the corner of a building during a ceremony to mark the start of construction
a person or thing of prime importance; basis
the cornerstone of the whole argument

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Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; corner, stone

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Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy, summed up the Southern attitude in his 1861 Cornerstone Speech.

The cornerstone of our democracy is that justice is to be colorblind in its administration.

Giants are the cornerstone of the myths, legends, and traditions of almost every culture on Earth.

Back then, property was understood by universal consensus as a foundational cornerstone of human liberty and a life worth living.

The character-building cornerstone of American life has lately come under fire for ills ranging from racism to concussions.

To lose our privileges would be to lose the very cornerstone of our liberty.

The Saratoga trunk is not the best cornerstone for the home: so much we may take for granted.

They went as a team and gave me about as much chance to escape as if I'd been a horned toad sealed in a cornerstone.

Pizarro was now very busy in developing the new country he had conquered, and in laying the cornerstone of a nation.

Confidence—a justified confidence—is therefore the cornerstone of morale.

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