Main

• POS: Adjective, Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

Main, n. [F. main hand, L. manus. See Manual.].

•  A hand or match at dice.  Prior. Thackeray.  [1913 Webster]
•  A stake played for at dice.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  The largest throw in a match at dice; a throw at dice within given limits, as in the game of hazard.  [1913 Webster]
•  A match at cockfighting.  Thackeray.  [1913 Webster]
•  A main-hamper.  Ainsworth.  [1913 Webster]

Main, n. [AS. mægen strength, power, force; akin to OHG. magan, Icel. megin, and to E. may, v. May, v.].

•  Strength; force; might; violent effort.  [1913 Webster]

  "There were in this battle of most might and main."  [1913 Webster]

  "He 'gan advance,
  With huge force, and with importable main."  [1913 Webster]
•  The chief or principal part; the main or most important thing.  [1913 Webster]

  "Resolved to rest upon the title of Lancaster as the main, and to use the other two . . . but as supporters."  [1913 Webster]
•  The great sea, as distinguished from an arm, bay, etc. ; the high sea; the ocean.  [1913 Webster]

  "With might and main they chased the murderous fox."  [1913 Webster]

Forcing main, the delivery pipe of a pump. -- For the main, or In the main, for the most part; in the greatest part. -- With might and main, or With all one's might and main, with all one's strength; with violent effort.

Main, a. [From Main strength, possibly influenced by OF. maine, magne, great, L. magnus. Cf. Magnate.].

•  Very or extremely strong.  [1913 Webster]

  "That current with main fury ran."  [1913 Webster]
•  Vast; huge.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]
•  Unqualified; absolute; entire; sheer.  [1913 Webster]
•  Principal; chief; first in size, rank, importance, etc.; as, the main reason to go; the main proponent.  [1913 Webster]

  "Our main interest is to be happy as we can."  [1913 Webster]
•  Important; necessary.  [1913 Webster]

  "That which thou aright
  Believest so main to our success, I bring."  [1913 Webster]

  "That Maine which by main force Warwick did win."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Principal; chief; leading; cardinal; capital.

Main, adv. [See Main, a.].

 Very; extremely; as, main heavy.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Main, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 chief in size, importance, extent, etc.; principal (the main part; the main point).
2 exerted to the full (by main force).
--n.
1 a principal channel, duct, etc., for water, sewage, etc. (water main).
2 (usu. in pl.; prec. by the) a the central distribution network for electricity, gas, water, etc. b a domestic electricity supply as distinct from batteries.
3 archaic or poet. a the ocean or oceans (the Spanish Main). b the mainland.

Idiom

in the main for the most part. main brace Naut. the brace attached to the main yard. the main chance one's own interests. main course
1 the chief course of a meal.
2 Naut. the mainsail.
main deck Naut.
1 the deck below the spar-deck in a man-of-war.
2 the upper deck between the poop and the forecastle in a merchantman.
main line
1 a chief railway line.
2 sl. a principal vein, esp. as a site for a drug injection (cf. MAINLINE).
3 US a chief road or street. main stem US colloq. = main street. main street the principal street of a town. Main Street US materialistic philosophy (after Sinclair Lewis's novel, 1920). main yard Naut. the yard on which the mainsail is extended. with might and main with all one's force.

Main, n.
1 (in the game of hazard) a number (5, 6, 7, 8, or 9) called by a player before dice are thrown.
2 a match between fighting-cocks.

Etymology

16th c.: prob. orig. main chance: see MAIN(1)

THESAURUS

Main

Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Eurasia, Eurasian landmass, Europe, North America, South America, absolute, all-absorbing, arch, awful, banner, basic, big, big drink, biggest, blue, blue water, brine, briny, brute, capital, cardinal, central, champion, channel, chief, cock, comprehensive, conduit, consequential, considerable, continent, controlling, crazy, critical, crowning, crucial, damned, deep, dominant, dreadful, drink, duct, effort, electric cable, energy, essential, exceedingly, exhaustive, extremely, fire main, first, focal, foremost, front, full, fundamental, gas main, grand, grave, great, greatest, head, headmost, heavy, hegemonic, high sea, high seas, highest, hydrosphere, in the main, intense, irresistible, landmass, largest, larruping, leading, line, magisterial, maiden, main sea, mainland, mainly, mains, major, master, maximum, mere, might, mighty, monstrous, necessary, ocean, ocean depths, ocean main, ocean sea, out-and-out, outstanding, overriding, overruling, paramount, particular, peninsula, pipe, pipeline, plain, plenary, power, power supply, powerful, predominant, predominating, preeminent, premier, preponderant, prevailing, primal, primary, prime, principal, pure, ranking, ruling, salt sea, salt water, sea, serious, sheer, sovereign, star, stellar, strength, strong, strongest, subcontinent, supereminent, supreme, thalassa, the bounding main, the brine, the briny, the briny deep, the deep, the deep sea, the seven seas, the vasty deep, tide, topflight, topmost, total, uppermost, utter, vigor, vital, water main

ROGET THESAURUS

Main

Importance

N importance, consequence, moment, prominence, consideration, mark, materialness, import, significance, concern, emphasis, interest, greatness, superiority, notability, weight, value, usefulness, gravity, seriousness, solemnity, no joke, no laughing matter, pressure, urgency, stress, matter of life and death, memorabilia, notabilia, great doings, red-letter day, great thing, great point, main chance, the be all and the end all, cardinal point, substance, gist, sum and substance, gravamen, head and front, important part, principal part, prominent part, essential part, half the battle, sine qua non, breath of one's nostrils, cream, salt, core, kernel, heart, nucleus, keynote, keystone, corner stone, trump card, salient points, top sawyer, first fiddle, prima donna, chief, triton among the minnows, 'it', important, of importance, momentous, material, to the point, not to be overlooked, not to be despised, not to be sneezed at, egregious, weighty, of note, notable, prominent, salient, signal, memorable, remarkable, unforgettable, worthy of remark, worthy of notice, never to be forgotten, stirring, eventful, grave, serious, earnest, noble, grand, solemn, impressive, commanding, imposing, urgent, pressing, critical, instant, paramount, essential, vital, all-absorbing, radical, cardinal, chief, main, prime, primary, principal, leading, capital, foremost, overruling, of vital importance in the front rank, first-rate, superior, considerable, marked, rare, significant, telling, trenchant, emphatic, pregnant, tanti, materially, in the main, above all, kat' exochin, par excellence, to crown all, to beat all, expende Hannibalem!.

Opening

N opening, hole, foramen, puncture, perforation, fontanel, transforation, pinhole, keyhole, loophole, porthole, peephole, mousehole, pigeonhole, eye of a needle, eyelet, slot, opening, aperture, apertness, hiation, yawning, oscitancy, dehiscence, patefaction, pandiculation, chasm, embrasure, window, casement, abatjour, light, sky light, fan light, lattice, bay window, bow window, oriel, dormer, lantern, outlet, inlet, vent, vomitory, embouchure, orifice, mouth, sucker, muzzle, throat, gullet, weasand, wizen, nozzle, placket, portal, porch, gate, ostiary, postern, wicket, trapdoor, hatch, door, arcade, cellarway, driveway, gateway, doorway, hatchway, gangway, lich gate, way, path, thoroughfare, channel, passage, passageway, tube, pipe, water pipe, air pipe, vessel, tubule, canal, gut, fistula, adjutage, ajutage, ostium, smokestack, chimney, flue, tap, funnel, gully, tunnel, main, mine, pit, adit, shaft, gallery, alley, aisle, glade, vista, bore, caliber, pore, blind orifice, fulgurite, thundertube, porousness, porosity, sieve, cullender, colander, cribble, riddle, screen, honeycomb, apertion, perforation, piercing, terebration, empalement, pertusion, puncture, acupuncture, penetration, key, opener, master key, password, combination, passe- partout, open, perforated, perforate, wide open, ajar, unclosed, unstopped, oscitant, gaping, yawning, patent, tubular, cannular, fistulous, pervious, permeable, foraminous, vesicular, vasicular, porous, follicular, cribriform, honeycombed, infundibular, riddled, tubulous, tubulated, piped, tubate, opening, aperient, Int, open sesame!.

Ocean

N sea, ocean, main, deep, brine, salt water, waves, billows, high seas, offing, great waters, watery waste, vasty deep, wave, tide, hydrography, hydrographer, Neptune, Poseidon, Thetis, Triton, Naiad, Nereid, sea nymph, Siren, trident, dolphin, oceanic, marine, maritime, pelagic, pelagian, seagoing, hydrographic, bathybic, cotidal, at sea, on sea, afloat.

Conduit

N conduit, channel, duct, watercourse, race, head race, tail race, abito, aboideau, aboiteau, bito, acequia, acequiador, acequiamadre, arroyo, adit, aqueduct, canal, trough, gutter, pantile, flume, ingate, runner, lock-weir, tedge, vena, dike, main, gully, moat, ditch, drain, sewer, culvert, cloaca, sough, kennel, siphon, piscina, pipe, funnel, tunnel, water pipe, waste pipe, emunctory, gully hole, artery, aorta, pore, spout, scupper, adjutage, ajutage, hose, gargoyle, gurgoyle, penstock, weir, flood gate, water gate, sluice, lock, valve, rose, waterworks, pipeline, vascular.