noun
lodestar
Lodestar (noun) means a star, especially a pole star like Polaris, that is used to find your way.
noun
1
A star, especially a pole star like Polaris, that is used to find your way.
"He was no wavering mariner; he had taken his course from a single lodestar, by which he had steered from the first day he had seen it in his heavens — the lodestar that had shone for him and would always shine."
— Sidney Robinson Kennedy, The Lodestar (1905)
2
A belief or idea that guides someone's actions.
"We need a new lodestar, a new map of the world that once again includes a distant, uncharted continent—“Utopia.”"
— Rutger Bregman (2017)
3
(law) A legal fee worked out by multiplying the hours reasonably spent on a case by a reasonable hourly rate.
"Many, though not all, of the objections to lodestars seem to us to be overstated."
— Richard L. Marcus, Complex litigation: cases and materials on advanced civil procedure (1992)
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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
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loadstar
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of lodestar?
"lodestar" (noun) means a star, especially a pole star like Polaris, that is used to find your way.
What is another word for lodestar?
Other words for "lodestar" include loadstar.
What are the different meanings of lodestar?
"lodestar" has 3 main meanings: 1. A star, especially a pole star like Polaris, that is used to find your way; 2. A belief or idea that guides someone's actions; 3. (law) A legal fee worked out by multiplying the hours reasonably spent on a case by a reasonable hourly rate.
