The linchpin in question held the wheel on the carriage, and removing it made it likely that the wheel would come off as the vehicle moved. Such a pin was called a lynis in Old English; Middle English …

A linchpin, also spelled lynchpin, is a fastener used to prevent a wheel or other part from sliding off the axle upon which it is riding. The word is first attested in the late fourteenth century and derives from …

LINCHPIN definition: 1. the most important member of a group or part of a system, that holds together the other members…. Learn more.

It’s a good metaphor: a linchpin is someone or something that keeps the wheels from falling off of an operation—they keep the whole thing working. It can also be spelled lynchpin.

Definition of linchpin noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

If you refer to a person or thing as the linchpin of something, you mean that they are the most important person or thing involved in it.

1. A locking pin inserted in the end of a shaft, as in an axle, to prevent a wheel from slipping off. 2. A central cohesive element: Reduced spending is the linchpin of their economic program.

Dec 4, 2025 · linchpin (third-person singular simple present linchpins, present participle linchpinning, simple past and past participle linchpinned) (ambitransitive) To adopt as, or serve as, a central …

From Longman Business Dictionary linch‧pin /ˈlɪntʃˌpɪn/ (also lynchpin) noun [singular] the most important thing or person in a system, plan etc, which everything else depends on The consumer is …

Linchpin noun - A crucial or essential element that holds various parts or aspects of a system, organization, or plan together.