main

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

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

Main

 (mān, mīn)

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

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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.

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.

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

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[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

n

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]

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main

(meɪn)

n

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]

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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)

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.

n.

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.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

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"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

أَسَاسِيّالخَط الرِّئيسيرَئيسي

hlavníhlavní vedení/potrubí

hoved-hovedledningvigtigste

Haupt-HauptleitunghauptsächlichMainHaupt-...

κύριος

ĉefa

principaltubería principalcañería principalcapitalcentral

pea-

pää-pääasiallinenpääjohtovaltaiso

principalcapital

glavni

főfõvezeték

aîal-, megin-aîalæî

principaletenere d'occhio il proprio interesseconduttura principaleenergia elettricaessenziale

主な

주요한

laikrodžio spyruoklėmagistralėpagrindinė linijavyraujanti kryptis/tendencijažemynas

galvenaismaģistrāle

belangrijkstbelangrijkstehoofd-hoofdzakelijkhoofdzakelijke

hoved-hovedledning

główny

principal

главныйосновной

hlavné vedenie/potrubie

glavenpoglaviten

huvud-huvudsakligallmängenerell

หลัก

temelanaana 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)

n

(= 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

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

---

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

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

main

(mein) adjective

chief, principal or most important. the main purpose; the main character in the story. hoof رَئيسي главен principal hlavní Haupt-... hoved- κύριος, κυριότεροςprincipal pea- اصلی pää- principalעיקרי प्रमुख, कुल मिलाकर glavni fő utama aðal-, megin- principale 主な 주된, 가장 중요한 pagrindinis, svarbiausias galvenais utama hoofd-hoved-główny, przeważnie مهم،اصلى 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

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. hoofpyp, hoofkabel الخَط الرِّئيسي главна тръба duto principal hlavní vedení/potrubí die Hauptleitung; Haupt-... hovedledning; hoved- κεντρικός αγωγός, κεντρική παροχή conducto principal, tubería principal, cañería principal peajuhe, magistraaltoru شاه لوله pääsyöttö 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 magistrala, sieć اصلى نل ليكه 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

ˈmainly adverb

more (of) the thing mentioned than anything else; mostly or largely. This skirt is mainly dark grey. hoofsaaklik بِصورَةٍ رَئيسيَّه предимно principalmente převážně hauptsächlich mest; overvejende κυρίως, κατεξοχήν principalmente, sobre todo, en su mayoría peamiselt اساسا؛ بیشتر pääasiassa principalementבעיקר प्रमुखता poglavito, uglavnom többnyire, főleg terutama aðallega principalmente 主に 주로, 대부분은 daugiausia, iš esmės galvenokārt terutama voornamelijk hovedsakelig, først og fremst, overveiendegłównie اساسى،مهم 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

ˈmainland noun

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 continente pevnina das Festland fastland ηπειρωτική περιοχή continente, tierra firme manner قاره mannermaa continent הַיַבֶּשֶת मुख्य भूभाग kopno szárazföld daratan utama meginland continente 本土 본토 žemynas cietzeme tanah besar vastelandfastlandkontynent لويه وچه 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

ˈmainspring noun

the chief spring, especially the spring that causes the wheels to move in a watch or clock. slagveer الزُّنْبَرَك الرَّئيسي في الساعَه пружина mola principal hnací pero die Haupttriebfeder drivkraft; hovedfjeder 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 veerdrivfjær główna sprężyna مهم فنر 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

ˈmainstream noun

the chief direction or trend of a system of theories, developments etc. the mainstream of traditional art. hoofstroom الإتِّجاه أو التيّار الرَّئيسي тенденция corrente hlavní proud die Hauptströmung hovedstrømning κυρίαρχη τάση, μόδαcorriente 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 جريان 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

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

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

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

main

a. principal; esencial;

adv. principalmente, esencialmente.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012