keystone

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Carved on each side of the niche above the keystone is a "true-lover's-knot."

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Definitions (10)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun Architecture The central wedge-shaped stone of an arch that locks its parts together. Also called headstone.
  2. noun The central supporting element of a whole.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (5)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Examples (50)

  • I know that nothing can be done without it; it is the keystone, the sine quâ non , and in regard to my children I place it next to piety. —  The Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe
  • "Yes, the keystone is in the very center of Hinge," Desi said. —  Geis of the Gargoyle
  • With modifications, by no means considerable, and certainly practicable, it appears to us that the voussoirs or archstones might themselves be laid down from above, and suspended by an appropriate mechanism till the keystone was inserted. —  The Life of Thomas Telford
  • Until we have a consensus on the diminishing value of the notion of consensus as the keystone of the climate debate, we'll continue to see the politicization of climate science and the continued gridlock on climate policy. —  RealClimate
  • Also, keystone is not a good idea at all as it degrades the image - if you have a higher-end projector, it'll come with LENS SHIFT which is an entirely different way of moving the image - think digital zoom vs optical zoom .... —  Medlogs - Recent stories
 

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/ˈkistoʊn/
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