Definition of LODESTAR

lodestar

Plural: lodestars

Noun

  • A star that serves as a guide, especially Polaris; a guiding principle.
  • guiding star; a star that is used as a reference point in navigation or astronomy
  • something that serves as a model or guide
  • A star used as a navigation reference, particularly a pole star such as Polaris.
  • A guiding tenet or principle.
  • A calculated amount to award as attorney's fees derived by multiplying the reasonable number of hours spent working on a case by the reasonable hourly billing rate.

Examples

  • The central star on the Scrabble board acts as a lodestar for many opening plays.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English lode (“journey, course”) + star, where lode is an archaic noun from the verb lithe (“to go, journey”), related to lead. Other Middle English spellings include: 14th century loode sterre, lood-sterre, lade-sterne; and 15th century lode sterre. Cognate with Old Norse leiðarstjarna, Dutch leidster, German Leitstern, Danish ledestjerne, Swedish ledstjärna.

Synonyms

loadstar, cynosure, guiding star

Scrabble Score: 9

lodestar: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
lodestar: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
lodestar: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

lodestar: valid Words With Friends Word