cor‧ner‧stone /ˈkɔːnəstəʊn $ ˈkɔːrnərstoʊn/ noun [countable]

1. something that is extremely important because everything else depends on it
cornerstone of
The magazine became the cornerstone of McFadden’s publishing empire.

2. a stone at one of the bottom corners of a building, often put in place at a special ceremony Synonym : foundation stone

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

basis the facts, ideas, things etc from which something can be developed:
His work will be used as a basis for future research.
foundation the thing on which something is based, especially something important that continues for a long time:
Their ideas were the foundation for the political system that exists in the UK today.
How can we provide a solid foundation for world peace?
bedrock the most important thing that something depends on in order to be successful:
Honesty is the bedrock of any healthy relationship.
Labour’s traditional bedrock of support is among the working classes.
cornerstone the most important thing that something depends on in order to be successful, especially in business and politics:
Confidence is the cornerstone of our business.
NATO remains a cornerstone of defence policy for Europe.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲