lodestar

noun

lode·​star ˈlōd-ˌstär 

variants or less commonly loadstar

1

archaic : a star that leads or guides

especially : north star

2

: one that serves as an inspiration, model, or guide

Did you know?

If you’re looking for inspiration, lodestar may represent the mother lode. The literal, albeit archaic, meaning of lodestar is “a star that leads or guides”; it is a term that has been used especially in reference to the North Star, a star in the Ursa Minor, or Little Dipper, constellation. The lode in both lodestar and mother lode comes from the Middle English word for “course” (lode is still used in some parts of England to mean “waterway”). Both the starry sense of lodestar and the more earthly “something or someone that leads or guides a person or group of people” meaning date back to the 14th century, the time of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who used both in his work. The literal sense had mostly fallen out of use by the early 17th century, but the figurative use shines on.

Synonyms

• compass
• cynosure
• direction
• focus
• polestar

Examples of lodestar in a Sentence

The idea of public service has been a lodestar for her throughout her life.

a society seemingly with unbridled greed as its only lodestar

Recent Examples on the Web

Ideological lodestars like a rejection of free-market orthodoxy — once a central plank of the GOP economic policies — hostility toward immigration and most foreign entanglements, plus a healthy dose of social conservatism. —David Hodari, NBC News, 3 Aug. 2024

In the twentieth century, their lodestar was a multiracial egalitarian society. —Corey Robin, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2024

The night had kicked off with Stacey Abrams, a lodestar of Georgia’s changing political future, who reinforced Harris’ moral imperative for the country. —Jason Parham, WIRED, 2 Aug. 2024

West’s influence turned the Warriors from a laughingstock to the league’s lodestar. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 12 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lode sterre, from lode course, from Old English lād

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

lodestar

noun

lode·​star

variants also loadstar

ˈlōd-ˌstär

: a star that leads or guides

especially : north star

Legal Definition

lodestar

noun

lode·​star

ˈlōd-ˌstär

: the amount obtained by multiplying the reasonable amount of hours spent by an attorney working on a case by the reasonable hourly billing rate for purposes of calculating an award of attorney's fees

Etymology

perhaps from the notion of the lodestar as a guiding light or principle