# main

Pronunciation: say "MAYN" /meɪn/

## Adjective

1. Chief or most important; the largest or principal one among others of its kind.
   - Simple: Most important or biggest among a group of things.
   - _The committee's main concern was the project's rising cost._
   - _Traffic is the main reason commuters leave so early._
13. Great or large in size or degree. *(dialectal)*
   - Simple: Very big or great.
   - _"There's a main heap of firewood to split before the snow comes," he grumbled._
   - _There was a main crowd at the fair this year, the biggest anyone could remember._

## Noun

2. A large pipe or cable that carries a utility such as water, gas, or electricity to an area or building.
   - Simple: A big pipe or wire that carries water, gas, or electricity to homes and buildings.
   - _Engineers shut off the gas main before beginning excavation._
   - _The city is replacing aging mains that date back a century._
3. Short for main course: the principal dish of a meal, served after any starter. *(colloquial)* — Ellipsis of main course (“the principal dish of a meal”).
   - Simple: Short for main course: the main dish of a meal, eaten after a starter if there is one.
   - _We lingered over starters and ordered our mains much later._
   - _He chose the lamb for his main and a light salad to start._
5. The primary character, account, or profile someone uses most, as opposed to secondary ones.
   - Simple: The game character or online account you use most, not your extra ones.
   - _He climbed the ranks by sticking with a single main all season._
   - _Choosing the right main can shape your whole strategy in ranked matches._
4. The chief or principal portion; the bulk or greater part of something.
   - Simple: The biggest or most important part of something.
   - _In the main, critics praised the novel's ambition._
   - _The changes to the schedule were, in the main, welcomed by the staff._
7. Short for mainsail: the principal and usually largest sail of a sailing vessel, set on the mainmast. — Ellipsis of mainsail.
   - Simple: Short for mainsail: the main sail on a boat's main mast, usually its biggest sail.
   - _We hoisted the main and set a course for the open water._
   - _The skipper eased the main to spill some of the wind._
9. The open ocean; the high seas, far from any coast. *(literary)*
   - Simple: The open ocean, far away from any land.
   - _For weeks they drifted on the main with no land in sight._
   - _The fleet vanished into the main beyond the horizon._

## Verb

6. To mostly play a particular character, side, or set of equipment during a game.
   - Simple: To mostly play one character, side, or set of gear in a game.
   - _He mains a heavy tank because he prefers absorbing damage for the team._
   - _Players who main snipers tend to favor long sightlines._
8. Short for mainline: to inject a drug, especially heroin, directly into a vein. *(slang)* — Ellipsis of mainline (“to inject (a drug) directly into a vein”).
   - Simple: Short for mainline: to put a drug straight into a vein with a needle.
   - _"Once you start to main heroin, there's no going back," the former addict warned._
   - _He admitted he had begun to main heroin during that period._

## Adverb

12. To a great degree; very much, exceedingly. *(dialectal, British)*
   - Simple: Used to mean very much or extremely.
   - _He was main pleased with the day's work in the fields._
   - _The track up the hill was main rough after the winter._

## Noun

10. Physical strength or force, now used only in the phrase with might and main. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Strength or force. Today it is only used in the phrase 'with might and main'.
   - _The crew rowed with might and main against the rising tide._
   - _He heaved at the boulder with all his might and main._
14. The mainland; the principal landmass, as distinct from surrounding islands. *(archaic, US)*
   - Simple: The big piece of land, not the islands near it.
   - _The settlers depended on the main for grain and timber._
   - _By autumn the ferry to the main had stopped running._
16. A hand or match in a game of dice; a single round of play. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A single round or hand in a dice game.
17. The largest throw in a dice match; in the game of hazard, a number from five to nine called out before the dice are thrown. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: In the old dice game hazard, a number from five to nine that a player calls before throwing.
   - _The caster named his main and rattled the dice in the box._
   - _The caster called a main of six, then shook the dice and threw._
18. A stake played for at dice; the sum wagered on a throw. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The money you bet on a throw of the dice.
19. A sporting contest or match, especially one between fighting cocks. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A sports contest, especially a fight between two roosters.
20. A basket used for gathering grapes at harvest. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A basket used to collect grapes at harvest time.

## Adjective

11. Full, sheer, and undivided; exerted with complete force, especially of physical strength. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Full and complete, done with all your strength.
   - _The sailors raised the anchor by main strength when the winch failed._
   - _Only main strength shifted the fallen beam from the doorway._

## Verb

15. To upgrade a road into a main or primary route. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To change a small road into a big, main road.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Relating to or belonging to a ship's mainmast, its principal mast.
- (noun) A banker's shovel used for scooping and gathering coins.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 6, 8, 11–13, 15** — From Middle English mayn, main, from the noun main (see etymology 2). It is comparable to Old English mæġen ("strong, main, principal") and Old Norse megn ("strong, main"), and is cognate with Old High German megīn ("strong, mighty").
**Meanings 2–5, 7, 9–10, 14** — Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- ("be able") lies behind Proto-Germanic *maginą ("strength, power, might"), which became Old English mæġen ("strength") and then Middle English mayn or main. Old High German magen, Old Norse magn and Old Saxon megin are cognates. The newer senses come from the adjective.
**Meanings 16–19** — Nobody can say for sure where this sense comes from, but the adjective main is the likeliest source. A link with French main ("hand") has been suggested without any evidence to back it.
**Meaning 20** — Of uncertain origin, possibly from French main ("hand").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/main (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).