mainland

noun

MAYN-luhnd/ˈmeɪnlənd/SayMAYN-landUK/ˈmeɪnlænd/AUS/mæɪnlænd/

3 meanings of mainland

1
nouncountable
The principal body of land of a country or region, as distinguished from its islands or a peninsula.
The hurricane weakened before it reached the mainland.
Many islanders commute to jobs on the mainland by boat.
Oppositeisland
2
nouncountable
The largest or most important island within a group of islands.
Most of the archipelago's residents live on the mainland.
A single airport on the mainland serves the entire chain of islands.
3
nounNorthern Ireland
Great Britain, especially as viewed from Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, or other surrounding islands.
After growing up on the Isle of Man, he relocated to the mainland to study medicine.
News from the mainland dominated the Belfast papers that week.

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English "mayne londe," equivalent to "main" plus "land," with cognates such as Faroese "meginland" and Icelandic "meginland" ("mainland").