cornerstone

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A stone forming the base at the corner of a building.

   Clutch it like a cornerstone Otherwise it all comes down Justify denials and Grip 'em to the lonesome end

2. 2
   noun

   Such a stone used ceremonially, often inscribed with the architect's and owner's names, dates and other details.

   The cornerstone on the Flatiron Building is set on the Fifth Avenue facade.

3. 3
   noun

   That which is prominent, fundamental, noteworthy, or central.

   Exceptional service is the cornerstone of the hospitality industry.

4. 4
   noun

   a stone at the outer corner of two intersecting masonry walls

5. 5
   noun

   a stone in the exterior of a large and important building

6. 6
   noun

   the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained

Etymology

From Middle English corner ston; equivalent to corner + stone. The figurative sense is in part after Psalm 118:22, and is also quoted several times in the New Testament.