main
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: mān
ipa: /meɪn/
rhymes: -eɪn
homophone: mane
homophone: Maine
Forms: form: mains
Etymology: From Middle English mayn, main, maine, mæine, mæȝen, from Old English mæġen (“strength”), from Proto-Germanic *maginą (“strength, power, might”), *maginaz (“strong”), from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- (“be able”).
The word is cognate with Old High German magen, megin, Old Norse magn, megn, megin, Old Saxon megin. More recent senses are derived from the adjective.
Senses: examples: text: Antiochus […] thought it a proper time for him to attempt the recovery of Syria; and Hermias his prime Miniſter preſſed hard for his going in perſon to this war, contrary to the Opinion of Epigenes his General; who thought it chiefly concerned him to ſuppreſs the Rebellion of Alexander and Molon in the East; and therefore adviſed him to march immediately in perſon with the main of his Army for the ſubduing of thoſe Rebels, before they ſhould gather greater ſtrength in the revolted Provinces againſt him.
ref: 1718, Humphrey Prideaux, The Old and New Testaments Connected in the History of the Jews and Neighbouring Nations, from the Declension of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ, 3rd edition, volume II, part I, London: Printed for R. Knaplock […] and J[acob] Tonson […], →OCLC, part II, book II, page 96:
text: But the King [Henry VII of England], […] preferring his affection to his own line and blood, […] resolved to rest upon the title of Lancaster as the main, and to use the other two, that of marriage, and that of battle, but as supporters, the one to appease secret discontents, and the other to beat down open murmur and dispute; […]
ref: 1803, Francis Bacon, “The History of the Reign of King Henry the Seventh”, in The Works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, and Lord High Chancellor of England. In Ten Volumes, volume V, London: Printed for J. Johnson [et al.]; […], →OCLC, page 8:
glosses: That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the bulk, the greater part, gross.
raw_tags: not in generic modern use
examples: text: My WoW main has reached level cap and I’m on my way getting my first alt there as well.
topics: video-games
glosses: That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the bulk, the greater part, gross.
The primary character that one plays in a video game in which one can play more than one character.
antonyms: alt
raw_tags: not in generic modern use
examples: text: His main got banned after his last post.
glosses: That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the bulk, the greater part, gross.
A main account.
antonyms: alt
raw_tags: not in generic modern use
examples: text: There's a gas leak in the main outside the building.
text: [T]he Contract with the Pipe-water Pavior was, as he recollects, to keep the Pavement in Repair for ſix Weeks; did oblige the Contractor to repair many Places in that ſix Weeks; there was a Part of the new Main failed in Dame-ſtreet; was obliged to take up three or four Pieces in Length, in conſequence of a Sewer being made there, which undermined the Main, and put it out of its Place; […]
ref: 1778 April 3, “Appendix. Report from the Committee on the State of the Pavements, &c. in the Streets of Dublin”, in The Journals of the House of Commons, of the Kingdom of Ireland, […], volume XX, Dublin: Printed by Abraham Bradley and Abraham Bradley King, […], published 1782, →OCLC, page 539:
text: [T]he Board would have put down, and indeed have ordered, hydrants where the water companies have put down new mains, or at all events are quite prepared upon those new mains to fix hydrants.
ref: 1876 June 19, Guildford Barker Richardson (interviewee), “Mr. Guildford Barker Richardson, Called in; and further Examined”, in Report from the Select Committee on the Metropolis Gas (Surrey Side) Bill; together with the Proceedings of the Committee, and Minutes of Evidence (Reports from Committees: Seven Volumes; 4), volume XI, [London]: Ordered, by the House of Commons, to be printed, published 28 July 1876, →OCLC, paragraph 4780, page 335:
glosses: A large cable or pipe providing utility service to an area or a building, such as a water main or electric main.
examples: text: I had scampi and chips for my main and a slice of cheesecake for dessert.
glosses: Ellipsis of main course (“the principal dish of a meal”).
examples: text: Who ſhall him rew, that ſwimming in the maine, / Will die for thriſt, and water doth refuſe? / Refuſe ſuch fruitleſſe toile, and preſent pleaſures chuſe.
ref: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 17, page 261:
text: The God, inſulting with ſuperiour Strength, / Fell heavy on him, plung'd him in the Sea, / And, with the Stern, the Rudder tore away, / Headlong he fell, and, ſtrugling in the Main, / Cry'd out for helping hands, but cry'd in vain: […]
ref: 1697, Virgil, “The Fifth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 360, lines 1115–1119:
text: Wanton god of am'rous fires, / Wishes, sighs and soft desires, / All nature's sons thy laws maintain; / O'er liquid air, firm land, and swelling main, / Extend thy uncontroul'd and boundless reign.
ref: c. 1744, Thomas Broughton (libretto), George Frideric Handel (music), “Hercules: An Oratorio”, in The Miscellaneous Pieces, as Set to Music, of Geo. Fred. Handel. […], part II, London: Printed for T. Heptinstall, […], published 1799, →OCLC, part the second [Act II, scene iv], page 53:
text: My love, and native land, fareweel! / For I maun cross the main...
ref: 1796, “It Was A' For Our Rightful King”, Robert Burns (lyrics):
text: The Sons of Mary seldom bother, for they have inherited that good part; / But the Sons of Martha favour their Mother of the careful soul and the troubled heart, / […] / It is their care that the wheels run truly; it is their care to embark and entrain, / Tally, transport, and deliver duly the Sons of Mary by land and main.
ref: 1907, Rudyard Kipling, “The Sons of Martha”, in Rudyard Kipling’s Verse: Inclusive Edition 1885–1918, London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., published 1927, →OCLC, pages 436–437:
text: And like some pirate sailor / We crossed the Spanish Main
ref: 1975, Keith Reid of Procul Harum, Pandora's Box (lyrics):
glosses: The high seas.
examples: text: In the year that followed of 1589, we gave the Spaniards no breath, but turned challengers, invaded the main of Spain. In which enterprize, although we failed of our end, which was to ſettle Don Antonio in the kingdom of Portugal, yet a man ſhall hardly meet with an action that doth better reveal the great ſecret of the power of Spain: […]
ref: 1624, Francis Bacon, “Considerations Touching a War with Spain. Inscribed to Prince Charles, An. 1624.”, in The Works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, and Lord High Chancellor of England, volume III, London: Printed for J[ohn] Walthoe, […], published 1740, →OCLC, page 526:
text: No man is an Iland, intire of it ſelfe; euery man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; […]
ref: 1624, John Donne, “17. Meditation”, in Deuotions upon Emergent Occasions, and Seuerall Steps in My Sicknes: […], London: […] A[ugustine] M[atthews] for Thomas Iones, →OCLC, pages 415–416:
text: The higheſt land on the mayne, yet it was but low, we called Keales hill, and theſe vninhabited Iſles, Ruſſels Iſles.
ref: 1624, Anthony Bagnall, Nathanaell Powell, Anas Todkill, “Chapter V. The Accidents that Hapned in the Discovery of the Bay of Chisapeack”, in Iohn Smith, The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles: […], London: […] I[ohn] D[awson] and I[ohn] H[aviland] for Michael Sparkes, →OCLC, book 3; reprinted in The Generall Historie of Virginia, … (Bibliotheca Americana), Cleveland, Oh.: The World Publishing Company, 1966, →OCLC, page 56:
text: Tashtego's long, lean, sable hair, his high cheek bones, and black rounding eyes— […] all this sufficiently proclaimed him an inheritor of the unvitiated blood of those proud warrior hunters, who, in quest of the great New England moose, had scoured, bow in hand, the aboriginal forests of the main.
ref: 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Knights and Squires”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 131:
glosses: The mainland.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: Ellipsis of mainsail.
examples: text: For with ſuch puiſſance and impetuous maine / Thoſe Champions broke on them, that forſt the fly, / Like ſcattered Sheepe, whenas the Shepherds ſwaine / A Lyon and a Tigre doth eſpye, / With greedy pace forth ruſhing from the foreſt nye.
ref: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 14, page 311:
qualifier: except in might and main
glosses: Force, power, strength, violent effort.
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: amain
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: fire main
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: for the main
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: gas main
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: in the main
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: main brace
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainbrace
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: maincrop
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: main drag
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainer
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainframe
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainful
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainland
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainline
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: main line
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: main man
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainmast
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainplane
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mains
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainsail
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainsheet
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainspring
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: main street
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: Main Street
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainstreet
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: maintop
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: maintopmast
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: main-truck
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: mainyard
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: midmain
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: might and main
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: rising main
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: Spanish Main
sense: Terms derived from main (noun)
word: water main