Meaning: The word cornerstone corresponds to an important quality or feature on which a particular thing is based on or depends upon. It also denotes a stone that forms the base of a corner of a building, joining two walls.
Origin: The word, also used as corner-stone, has been in use from late in the 13th Century. Originally used to refer to the “stone which lies at the corner of two walls and unites them,” it acquired the figurative sense of “that on which anything is founded.” The word is arrived at by combining the words ‘corner and ‘stone’.
In U.S. history, American politician Alexander H. Stephen’s Cornerstone speech that explains that Confederate constitution was given on March 21, 1861.
Even though the word has been around for centuries, it has risen in popularity again in the last 100 years or so.
Usage: Funds for the primary schooling system were the cornerstone of her budget proposal.
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