Main

Main  (mn, mn)

A river rising in eastern Germany and flowing about 499 km (310 mi) generally westward to the Rhine River at Mainz.

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main  (mn)

adj.

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

2. Exerted to the utmost; sheer: by main strength.

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

4. Grammar Of, relating to, or being the principal clause or verb of a complex sentence.

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

n.

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.

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

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Main [meɪn (German) main]

n

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

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main¹

adj (prenominal)

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

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

3. (Transport / 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

n

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

2. (Engineering / Civil Engineering) (plural)

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

b.  (as modifier) mains voltage

3. the chief or most important part or consideration

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

5. (Transport / Nautical Terms) Literary the open ocean

6. (Historical Terms) (Transport / Nautical Terms) Archaic short for Spanish Main

7. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) Archaic short for mainland

in (or for) the main on the whole; for the most part

[from Old English mægen strength]

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main²

n

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

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

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

[of unknown origin]

Thesaurus

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"

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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.

Translations

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

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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)

n

(= pipe) → conduite f principale, canalisation f

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

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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

n

(= 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

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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)

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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

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main:

mainspring

n (Mech, fig) → Triebfeder f

mainstay

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

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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

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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

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main

adj main [mein]

chief, principal or most important the main purpose; the main character in the story. hoof رَئيسي главен hlavní hoved- Haupt-... κύριος, κυριότερος principal pea- اصلی pää- principal עִיקָרִי प्रमुख, कुल मिलाकर glavni fő utama aðal-, megin- principale 主な 주된, 가장 중요한 pagrindinis, svarbiausias galvenais utama hoofd{#169} hoved- główny, przeważnie principal principal основной, главный hlavný glaven glavni huvudsaklig, viktigast, huvud- สำคัญที่สุด temel, ana 主要的 головний اہم chính; quan trọng nhất 主要的

n

(alsomains) 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. hoofpyp, hoofkabel الخَط الرِّئيسي главна тръба hlavní vedení/potrubí hovedledning; hoved- die Hauptleitung; Haupt-... κεντρικός αγωγός, κεντρική παροχή conducto principal, tubería principal, cañería principal peajuhe, magistraaltoru شاه لوله pääjohto, jakeluverkko conduite maîtresse צִינוֹר רָאשִי, כֶּבֶל רָאשִׁי मुख्य glavni vod fővezeték; hálózat induk aðalæð tubatura principale 本管 수도, 가스 등의 배관에서) 본관 pagrindinė linija, magistralė maģistrāle induk hoofdleiding hovedledning (for vann, gass osv.) magistrala, sieć fonte coloană/con­ductă principală магистраль hlavné vedenie / potrubie glavni vod napeljave glavni vod huvudledning สายหลัก şebeke, ana boru 幹線 магістраль پانی ، بجلی وغیرہ کا مرکز اتصال đường trục chính; mạng lưới chính 干线

adv mainly

more (of) the thing mentioned than anything else; mostly or largely This skirt is mainly dark grey. hoofsaaklik بِصورَةٍ رَئيسيَّه предимно převážně mest; overvejende hauptsächlich κυρίως, κατεξοχήν principalmente, sobre todo, en su mayoría peamiselt اساسا؛ بیشتر pääasiassa principalement בְּעִיקָר प्रमुखता poglavito, uglavnom többnyire, főleg terutama aðallega principalmente 主に 주로, 대부분은 daugiausia, iš esmės galvenokārt terutama voornamelijk hovedsakelig, først og fremst, overveiende głównie principalmente în special, în cea mai mare parte в основном; главным образом prevažne v glavnem uglavnom huvudsakligen, mest, till största delen โดยส่วนใหญ่ başlıca, daha çok 主要地 головним чином; здебільшого خاص طور سے chủ yếu; phần lớn 主要地

n mainland

a large piece of land as compared with neighbouring islands Britain is not part of the mainland of Europe. vasteland الجُزْء الرَّئيسي مِن القارَّه суша pevnina fastland das Festland ηπειρωτική περιοχή continente, tierra firme manner قاره mantere continent הַיַבֶּשֶת मुख्य भूभाग kopno szárazföld daratan utama meginland continente 本土 본토 žemynas cietzeme tanah besar vasteland fastland kontynent continente conti­nent материк pevnina celina kopno fastland แผ่นดินใหญ่ anakara 大陸 материк آس پاس کے جزیروں وغیرہ سے الگ زمین کا بڑا قطعہ lục địa 大陆

n mainspring

the chief spring, especially the spring that causes the wheels to move in a watch or clock. slagveer الزُّنْبَرَك الرَّئيسي في الساعَه пружина hnací pero drivkraft; hovedfjeder die Haupttriebfeder κύριο ελατήριο muelle real käiguvedru شاه فنر kellonjousi ressort principal קְפִיץ רָאשִׁי बड़ी कमानी glavna opruga, glavni pokretač főrugó per utama gangfjöður molla principale 主ぜんまい (시계의) 큰 태엽 laikrodžio spyruoklė galvenā atspere sebab utama veer drivfjær główna sprężyna mola principal arc motor ходовая пружина hnacia pružina glavno pero v uri spiralna opruga drivfjäder ลานตัวใหญ่และสำคัญที่สุดของนาฬิกา büyük zemberek, ana yay 主發條 ходова пружина مشینی آلے گھڑی وغیرہ کا فنر dây cót 主发条

n mainstream

the chief direction or trend of a system of theories, developments etc the mainstream of traditional art. hoofstroom الإتِّجاه أو التيّار الرَّئيسي тенденция hlavní proud hovedstrømning die Hauptströmung κυρίαρχη τάση, μόδα corriente principal põhihoovus جریان valtavirta courant dominant הָזֶרֶם הַמֶרכָּזִי मुख्य विचारधारा pravac, usmjerenje fő áram/(irány)vonal/vonulat kecenderungan meginstraumur, ríkjandi stefna corrente principale 主流 주류, 대세 vyraujanti kryptis/tendencija tendence, galvenais virziens aliran utama heersende stroming hovedtendens/-strømning główny nurt corrente curent domi­nant основное направление, господствующая тенденция hlavný prúd glavna smer glavni tok huvudströmning, ledande riktning ทิศทางหรือแนวโน้มหลักของระบบทฤษฎีหรือการพัฒนา ana görüş/eğilim 主流 основний напрямок رائج الوقت خیال، رجحان xu thế chủ đạo 主流

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Main → أساسي 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