The word for today is…
crux (noun) -
1: a puzzling or difficult problem : an unsolved question
2: an essential point requiring resolution or resolving an outcome
3: a main or central feature (as of an argument)
Source : Merriam-Webster
Etymology : Latin speakers used crux to refer literally to an instrument of torture, often a cross or stake, and figuratively to the torture and misery inflicted by means of such an instrument. When English speakers adopted crux in the early 18th century, they used it to mean "a puzzling or difficult problem." In the late 19th century, crux developed a more specific use referring to an essential point of a legal case that required resolution before the case as a whole could be resolved. Today, the verdict on crux is that it can be used to refer to any important part of a problem or argument, inside or outside of the courtroom.
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