Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Variant of linchpin.
Wiktionary
- n. a pin inserted through holes at the end of an axle, so as to secure a wheel
- n. figuratively a central cohesive source of stability and security; a person or thing that is critical to a system or organisation.
WordNet 3.0
- n. pin inserted through an axletree to hold a wheel on
- n. a central cohesive source of support and stability
Etymologies
- From Middle English lynspin, from Old English lynis (a pin securing a wheel to an axle). Figurative use attested from the mid 20th Century. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“An unnamed Saudi adviser tells CNN the two sides see eye to eye and that Saudi Arabia will play a stronger role in the region and become what he called a lynchpin of U.S. policy.”
“Mohammed Chowdhury, 21, a Bangladeshi living in east London, was described as the lynchpin of the gang and admitted plotting to bomb the London Stock Exchange.”
“The lynchpin might be a winning lottery ticket or a new job or a piece of real estate everyone wants.”
The Washington Post: Downtown D.C. development holdout saw a likely fortune vanish
“Supreme Court threatening to break a lynchpin of the Bush administration's war on terror.”
“Chowdhury, described as the 'lynchpin' of the terrorist plot, nicknamed JMB by his co-defendants - short for banned terrorist group Jammat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh, was told he faced a sentence of 13 and a half years, plus a five year extended licence period for preparing to commit an act of terroism.”
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph
“Room 39 is described as the lynchpin of the North's so-called "court economy" centered on the dynastic Kim family.”
CBS 2 - KCAL 9 - Los Angeles - Southern California - LA Breaking News, Weather, Traffic, Sports
“He added: "The lynchpin is the Afghan people, because they are the greatest resource against the insurgency.”
“I respect your scrutiny of local government, but this wasn't some kind of "lynchpin" condo deal.”
“He said the Futenma move was a "lynchpin" of a 2006 deal under which more than 8,000 US troops would leave Okinawa for the US territory of Guam.”
“He said Ford must have known he was the "lynchpin" witness in the hearing against Mr”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘lynchpin’.
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hunting
crudely, unequivocal, obsolete, obscure, overtly, misdeed, shack, inherent, outcry, hefty, composed, poised and 318 more...
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• The bonhomous lynchpin - And other ...
plinth, starboard, bonhomie, bulkhead, brethren, gabardine, anon, lynchpin, vine, yoke, sequin, marigold and 12 more...
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Amalgamations
Words that have been smashed together.
keystone, touchstone, footprint, thunderhead, seesaw, textbook, leftovers, watchword, afterbirth, fieldwork, outcast, statesman and 148 more...
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ecbrenner's list
flatline, luddism, apocalipstick, muttsucker, leviathan of fore..., flint, coryphaeus, donnybrook, bandwidth, bagpipe the mizen, cheesed off, asterism and 525 more...
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The Sog Collection
My big word list.
chaos, flaccid, empirical, flotsam, cacophony, grumble, assuage, awe, romance, mortality, coalesce, fortuitous and 3282 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, L
lisle, lahar, loupe, labret, latten, luster, lagomorph, lamentation, limicole, lunge, lobtail, latifolious and 182 more...
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Aequoria's list
affect, deleterious, nuance, pliant, verbatim, pertinent, latter, municipality, provincial, voyeuristic, circumlocution, wane and 798 more...
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tranquill's Words
loquacious, unmitigated, trundle, ephemeral, vociferous, trapezoidal, liminal, obsequious, veracity, squash, onomatopoeia, oscillate and 267 more...
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Clearinghouse
For stuff to simply reside.
calcar, pinion, espadrille, antipodes, peregrine, cormorant, tanager, vireo, farrago, undervest, passerine, oscine and 881 more...
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danallison's Words
polysemy, self-reliance, savor, amenities, vintage, proverbial, colloquial, assemblage, ubiquitous, jocular, prosaic, perambulation and 443 more...
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Vocabulary Constabulary
kismet, euphemism, sycophant, narcissism, conciliate, polymath, parse, artesanal, germaine, meta-data, meta, protocol and 39 more...
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blame's Words
torque, logomancy, velocity, vector, cantankerous, pap, lynchpin, toggle, unguent, solipsism, trebuchet, brunt and 44 more...
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compound words
My favourites.
birdbath, gallowglass, lamplight, chokecherry, lightbox, riptide, softshoe, snowshed, bluebird, matchbox, sugarcane, nightcap and 64 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for lynchpin.
Prolagus
(All arise!, by The Decemberists) Jan 19, 2011
qroqqa The OED added this spelling only in 1997 (with first citation from 1988), yet on Google it's almost equally common as 'linchpin' on UK sites. (Worldwide it's lagging at under 3:1.) However, Google Books shows examples in the early nineteenth century, e.g. lynch pin in Catherine Hutton, Oakwood Hall, 1819. Jul 31, 2008
sonofgroucho What a solid, reliable little word! Dec 10, 2007