main

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Related to main: mail

main

chief: the main person in charge; principal: main reason

Not to be confused with:

mane – neck hair of an animal; a person’s long hair: a luxurious mane

Main

(mān, mīn)

A river rising in eastern Germany and flowing about 525 km (325 mi) generally westward to the Rhine River at Mainz.

main

(mān)

adj.

1. Most important; principal. See Synonyms at chief.

2. Exerted to the utmost; sheer: "They took her off the sled by main strength" (Jack London).

3. Nautical Connected to or located near the mainmast: a main skysail.

4. Obsolete Of or relating to a continuous area or stretch, as of land or water.

1. The chief or largest part: His ideas are, in the main, impractical.

2. The principal pipe or conduit in a system for conveying water, gas, oil, or other utility.

3. Physical strength: fought with might and main.

4. A mainland.

5. The open ocean.

6. Nautical

a. A mainsail.

b. A mainmast.

7. The main dish of a meal: "Unsurprisingly, the mains and their house-made condiments were the standouts of a recent meal" (Lindsey Tramuta).

[Middle English, from Old English mægen, strength; see magh- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

main

(meɪn)

adj (prenominal)

1. chief or principal in rank, importance, size, etc

2. sheer or utmost (esp in the phrase by main force)

3. (Nautical Terms) nautical of, relating to, or denoting any gear, such as a stay or sail, belonging to the mainmast

4. obsolete significant or important

5. (Civil Engineering) a principal pipe, conduit, duct, or line in a system used to distribute water, electricity, etc

6. (Civil Engineering) (plural)

a. the main distribution network for water, gas, or electricity

b. (as modifier): mains voltage.

7. the chief or most important part or consideration

8. great strength or force (now chiefly in the phrase (with) might and main)

9. (Nautical Terms) literary the open ocean

10. (Historical Terms) archaic short for Spanish Main

11. (Nautical Terms) archaic short for Spanish Main

12. (Physical Geography) archaic short for mainland

13. in the main for the main on the whole; for the most part

[C13: from Old English mægen strength]

main

(meɪn)

1. (Gambling, except Cards) a throw of the dice in dice games

2. (Games, other than specified) a cockfighting contest

3. (General Sporting Terms) a match in archery, boxing, etc

[C16: of unknown origin]

Main

(meɪn; German main)

(Placename) a river in central and W Germany, flowing west through Würzburg and Frankfurt to the Rhine. Length: about 515 km (320 miles)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

main

(meɪn)

adj.

1. chief in size, extent, or importance; principal; leading.

2. syntactically independent.

3. pertaining to or connected to a mainmast or mainsail.

4. sheer; utmost: by main strength.

5. Obs. of or pertaining to a broad expanse: main sea.

6. a principal pipe or duct in a system used to distribute water, gas, etc.

7. physical strength or force: might and main.

8. the chief part or point: in the main, a good plan.

9. the open ocean: the bounding main.

10. mainland.

[before 900; Middle English meyn, strength, power, Old English mægen, derivative of the Germanic v. base *mag- may¹;]

Main

(meɪn, maɪn)

n.

a river in central Germany, flowing W from N Bavaria into the Rhine at Mainz. 305 mi. (490 km) long.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	main - any very large body of (salt) water briny body of water, water - the part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean); "they invaded our territorial waters"; "they were sitting by the water's edge" high sea, international waters - the open seas of the world outside the territorial waters of any nation hydrosphere - the watery layer of the earth's surface; includes water vapor offing - the part of the sea that can be seen from the shore and is beyond the anchoring area; "there was a ship in the offing" territorial waters - the waters surrounding a nation and its territories over which that nation exercises sovereign jurisdiction
	2.	main - a principal pipe in a system that distributes water or gas or electricity or that collects sewage electric main - a main that distributes electricity gas main - a main that distributes gas infrastructure, base - the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; "the industrial base of Japan" pipage, pipe, piping - a long tube made of metal or plastic that is used to carry water or oil or gas etc. sewer line, sewer main - a main in a sewage system water main - main (a pipe or conduit) for conveying water
Adj.	1.	main - most important element; "the chief aim of living"; "the main doors were of solid glass"; "the principal rivers of America"; "the principal example"; "policemen were primary targets"; "the master bedroom"; "a master switch" chief, master, principal, primary important, of import - of great significance or value; "important people"; "the important questions of the day"
	2.	main - (of a clause) capable of standing syntactically alone as a complete sentence; "the main (or independent) clause in a complex sentence has at least a subject and a verb" independent grammar - the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics) dependent, subordinate - (of a clause) unable to stand alone syntactically as a complete sentence; "a subordinate (or dependent) clause functions as a noun or adjective or adverb within a sentence"
	3.	main - of force; of the greatest possible intensity; "by main strength" intense - possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree; "intense heat"; "intense anxiety"; "intense desire"; "intense emotion"; "the skunk's intense acrid odor"; "intense pain"; "enemy fire was intense"

main

adjective

1. chief, leading, major, prime, head, special, central, particular, necessary, essential, premier, primary, vital, critical, crucial, supreme, outstanding, principal, cardinal, paramount, foremost, predominant, pre-eminent My main concern now is to protect the children.
chief least, minor, secondary, dependent, lesser, subordinate, trivial, insignificant, unimportant, auxiliary

2. sheer, direct, entire, pure, mere, absolute, utter, utmost, downright, brute, undisguised She had to be held back by main force.

plural noun

1. pipeline, channel, pipe, conduit, duct the water supply from the mains

2. cable, line, electricity supply, mains supply amplifiers which plug into the mains

in the main on the whole, generally, mainly, mostly, in general, for the most part In the main, children are taboo in the workplace.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

main

adjective

Most important, influential, or significant:

capital, cardinal, chief, first, foremost, key, leading, major, number one, paramount, premier, primary, prime, principal, top.

Translations

أَسَاسِيّالخَط الرِّئيسيرَئيسي

hlavníhlavní vedení/potrubí

hoved-hovedledningvigtigste

Haupt-Hauptleitung hauptsächlich Main Haupt-...

κύριος

ĉefa

principal tubería principal cañería principal capital central

pea-

pää-pääasiallinenpääjohtovaltaiso

principal capital

glavni

főfõvezeték

aîal-, megin-aîalæî

principale tenere d'occhio il proprio interesse conduttura principale energia elettrica essenziale

主な

주요한

laikrodžio spyruoklėmagistralėpagrindinė linijavyraujanti kryptis/tendencijažemynas

galvenaismaģistrāle

belangrijkst belangrijkste hoofd-hoofdzakelijkhoofdzakelijke

hlavné vedenie/potrubie

glavenpoglaviten

huvud-huvudsakligallmängenerell

หลัก

temel anaana boruşebeke

chủ yếu

主要的干线

main

[meɪn]

A. ADJ [reason, problem, aim, concern] → principal, fundamental; [gate, entrance] → principal
that was my main reason for doing it → ésa fue la razón principal or fundamental por (la) que lo hice
the main thing is that no one was hurt → lo principal es que nadie resultó herido
the main thing is not to panic → lo principal es no dejarse llevar por el pánico

B. N

1. (= pipe) → cañería f principal, conducto m principal; (= cable) → cable m principal
gas/water main → cañería or conducto principal del gas/agua
the mains (Elec) → la red, la red de suministro; (for Gas, Water) → la red de suministro
the water in this tap comes from the mains → el agua de este grifo viene de la red de suministro
to turn the gas/water off at the mains → cerrar la llave principal del gas/agua
to turn the electricity off at the mains → apagar la electricidad
this radio works on batteries or off the mains → esta radio funciona con pilas o conectada a la red

2. (liter) the main (= open sea) → la mar océana
the Spanish Main → el Mar Caribe

3. in the main (= generally speaking) → por lo general, por regla general, en general; (= in the majority) → por lo general, en su mayoría, en su mayor parte
the people she met were, in the main, wealthier than her → la gente que conoció era, por lo general or en su mayoría or en su mayor parte, más rica que ella

4.
see might ²

C. CPD main beam N (Archit) → viga f maestra (Aut) → luces fpl largas, luz f larga
main clause N (Gram) → oración f principal
main course N → plato m principal
main deck N (Naut) → cubierta f principal
the main drag N (US) → la calle principal
main line N (Rail) → línea f principal
see also mainline main office N (= headquarters of organization) → sede f, oficina f central
main road N → carretera f principal
main sheet N (Naut) → escota f mayor
main street N → calle f mayor
the mains supply N → el suministro de la red

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

main

[ˈmeɪn]

adj

(= most important) → principal(e)
the main problem → le principal problème
the main thing → l'essentiel m
the main thing is to ... → l'essentiel est de ...

(= biggest) [door, gate, entrance] → principal(e)

(= pipe) → conduite f principale, canalisation f

in the main (= on the whole) → dans l'ensemble
see also mainsmain clause n (GRAMMAR) [sentence] → proposition f principalemain course n → plat m principalmain drag n (mainly US) → rue f principale

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

main

adj attr → Haupt-; the main reason → der Hauptgrund; the main idea in this book → der Haupt- or Leitgedanke in diesem Buch; what is the main thing in life? → was ist die Hauptsache im Leben?; the main thing is to … → die Hauptsache ist, dass …; the main thing is you’re still alive → Hauptsache, du lebst noch

(= pipe) → Hauptleitung f; the mains (of town) → das öffentliche Versorgungsnetz; (for electricity) → das Stromnetz; (of house) → der Haupthahn; (for electricity) → der Hauptschalter; the machine is run directly off the mains → das Gerät wird direkt ans Stromnetz angeschlossen; the water/gas/electricity was switched off at the mains → der Haupthahn/Hauptschalter für Wasser/Gas/Elektrizität wurde abgeschaltet

(poet) the main → das offene Meer, die hohe See

in the main → im Großen und Ganzen

? might²

main

mainbrace

n → Großbrasse f; to splice the main → Rum an die Mannschaft ausgeben

main clause

n (Gram) → Hauptsatz m

main course

n → Hauptgericht nt

main deck

n → Hauptdeck nt

main drag

n (US inf: = main street) → Hauptstraße f

main drain

n → Hauptrohr nt; (for sewage) → Hauptkanal m

main establishment

n (Comm) → Hauptniederlassung f

main force

n → rohe Gewalt

mainframe (computer)

n → Großrechner m, → Mainframe m

mainland

n → Festland nt; on the main of Europe → auf dem europäischen Festland

main line

n (Rail) → Hauptstrecke f

main-line

adj main train → Schnellzug m

mainline

vi (sl) → fixen (inf)

main

main man

n (US inf)

(in film) → Hauptdarsteller m

(= best friend) → bester Freund

mainmast

n → Haupt- or Großmast m

main memory

n (Comput) → Hauptspeicher m

main menu

n (Comput) → Hauptmenü nt

main office

n (= headquarters) → Zentrale f

main road

n → Hauptstraße f

mainsail

n → Haupt- or Großsegel nt

mainsheet

n (Naut) → Großschot f

main

mainspring

n (Mech, fig) → Triebfeder f

mainstay

n (Naut) → Haupt- or Großstag nt; (fig) → Stütze f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

main

[meɪn]

1. adj (gen) → principale
the main body of an army → il grosso di un esercito
the main thing is to ... → l'essenziale è...
the main thing to remember is ... → soprattutto non bisogna dimenticare che...

2. n

a. (pipe, for water, gas) → conduttura or tubatura principale (Elec) → linea principale
main (sewer) → collettore m
see also mains

b. in the main → nel complesso, nell'insieme

main

(mein) adjective

chief, principal or most important. the main purpose; the main character in the story.

noun

(also mains) the chief pipe or cable in a branching system of pipes or cables. The water's been turned off at the main(s); (also adjective) the mains electricity supply.

ˈmainly adverb

more (of) the thing mentioned than anything else; mostly or largely. This skirt is mainly dark grey.

ˈmainland noun

a large piece of land as compared with neighbouring islands. Britain is not part of the mainland of Europe.

ˈmainspring noun

the chief spring, especially the spring that causes the wheels to move in a watch or clock.

ˈmainstream noun

the chief direction or trend of a system of theories, developments etc. the mainstream of traditional art.

main

→ أَسَاسِيّ hlavní vigtigste Haupt- κύριος principal pää- principal glavni principale 主な 주요한 hoofd- hoved- główny principal главный huvud- หลัก temel chủ yếu 主要的

main

a. principal; esencial;

adv. principalmente, esencialmente.

References in classic literature ?

This done, a broad, semicircular line is cut round the hole, the hook is inserted, and the main body of the crew striking up a wild chorus, now commence heaving in one dense crowd at the windlass.

View in context

If it properly accomplishes this main purpose, when the reader finishes it he should feel that his understanding of life and of people has been increased and broadened.

View in context

For gardens (speaking of those which are indeed princelike, as we have done of buildings), the contents ought not well to be under thirty acres of ground; and to be divided into three parts; a green in the entrance; a heath or desert in the going forth; and the main garden in the midst; besides alleys on both sides.

View in context

Should any of them succeed in falling in with friendly Indians, within a reasonable distance, and obtaining a supply of provisions and horses, they were to return to the aid of the main body: otherwise they were to shift for themselves, and shape their course according to circumstances; keeping the mouth of the Columbia River as the ultimate point of their wayfaring.

View in context

THE main purpose of this story is to appeal to the reader's interest in a subject which has been the theme of some of the greatest writers, living and dead -- but which has never been, and can never be, exhausted, because it is a subject eternally interesting to all mankind.

View in context

He had been seated before the door of the main house.

View in context

Wyeth travelled for a considerable distance to the southwest, in company with Milton Sublette, when they separated; and the former, with eleven men, the remnant of his band, pushed on for Snake River; kept down the course of that eventful stream; traversed the Blue Mountains, trapping beaver occasionally by the way, and finally, after hardships of all kinds, arrived, on the 29th of October, at Vancouver, on the Columbia, the main factory of the Hudson's Bay Company.

View in context

Nalasu would give Jerry a series of instructions, such as, going on a scout by himself, to go to the nest, then circle about it widely, to continue to the other clearing where were the fruit trees, to cross the jungle to the main path, to proceed down the main path toward the village till he came to the great banyan tree, and then to return along the small path to Nalasu and Nalasu's house.

View in context

Valparaiso -- Portillo Pass -- Sagacity of Mules -- Mountain- torrents -- Mines, how discovered -- Proofs of the gradual Elevation of the Cordillera -- Effect of Snow on Rocks -- Geological Structure of the two main Ranges, their distinct Origin and Upheaval -- Great Subsidence -- Red Snow -- Winds -- Pinnacles of Snow -- Dry and clear Atmosphere -- Electricity -- Pampas -- Zoology of the opposite Side of the Andes -- Locusts -- Great Bugs -- Mendoza -- Uspallata Pass -- Silicified Trees buried as they grew -- Incas Bridge -- Badness of the Passes exaggerated -- Cumbre -- Casuchas -- Valparaiso.

View in context

It were a main place for pirates once, and a hand we had on board knowed all their names for it.

View in context

Thus we started up toward the main floor of the building.

View in context

They sat by a window that looked over the roof of a small frame building into Main Street.