lodestar

See also: Lode Star

English

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.

Noun

lodestar (plural lodestars)

  1. A star used as a navigation reference, particularly a pole star such as Polaris.
  2. A guiding tenet or principle.
  3. (law) 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.

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