- a star by which one directs one's course; esp., the North Star
- a guiding principle or ideal
Origin of lodestar
Middle English lodesterre: see lode and starlodestar
lode·starWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"lodestar." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Lodestar>.
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lodestar. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Lodestar
lodestar
also load·star
noun
- A star, such as Polaris, that is used as a point of navigational reference.
- A principle, interest, or person that serves as a guide.
Origin of lodestar
Middle English lodesterre lode way ; see lode . sterre star ; see star .THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"lodestar." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Lodestar>.
APA Style
lodestar. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Lodestar
also loadstar (lōdˌ◌stärˌ◌)
A star, especially Polaris, that is used as a point of reference.
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MLA Style
"lodestar." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Lodestar>.
APA Style
lodestar. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Lodestar
Noun
(plural lodestars)
- A star used as a navigation reference, particularly a pole star such as Polaris.
- A guiding tenet or principle.
Origin
From lode (“journey, course") +"Ž star, where lode is an archaic noun from the verb lithe (“to go, journey"), related to lead. Cognate with Old Norse leiðarstjarna, German Leitstern, Swedish ledstjärna. English from the 14th century as loode sterre, lood-sterre, lade-sterne, 15th century lode sterre, 16th century lode starre.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"lodestar." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Lodestar>.
APA Style
lodestar. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Lodestar
