crutch
n.n. a piece of equipment used to help you walk when you have an injury. It is also a word for something you rely on to help you do a job, like a tool or a habit.
n. a device used to support the weight of the body during walking; by extension, a person or thing that provides support or assistance in a particular situation.
He used a walking crutch after his leg surgery.
The team relied on a single crutch to keep the project moving forward while they waited for the new software to arrive.
While the initial crutch of the assistant's expertise was necessary to launch the product, the company eventually had to develop its own internal systems to maintain long-term growth.
From Middle English crucche, from Old English cryċċ (“crutch, staff”), from Proto-West Germanic krukkju, from Proto-Germanic krukjō (“crutch, staff”), from Proto-Indo-European grewg- (“wrinkle, bend”), from Proto-Indo-European ger- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate with Scots curche, crutch (“crutch, stilts”), Dutch kruk (“crutch”), Low German krukke, Krück (“crutch”), German Krücke (“crutch”), Swedish krycka (“crutch”). Latin crucia, crucca, croccia, crocia (“crutch”), and its descendants are ultimately from the Germanic.