main

main
main1
/mayn/, adj.
1. chief in size, extent, or importance; principal; leading: the company's main office; the main features of a plan.
2. sheer; utmost, as strength or force: to lift a stone by main force.
3. of or pertaining to a broad expanse: main sea.
4. Gram. syntactically independent; capable of use in isolation. Cf. dependent (def. 4), independent (def. 14), main clause.
5. Naut.
a. of or pertaining to a mainmast.
b. noting or pertaining to a sail, yard, boom, etc., or to any rigging belonging to a mainmast.
c. noting any stay running aft and upward to the head of a mainmast: main topmast stay.
6. Obs.
a. having or exerting great strength or force; mighty.
b. having momentous or important results; significant.
n.
7. a principal pipe or duct in a system used to distribute water, gas, etc.
8. physical strength, power, or force: to struggle with might and main.
9. the chief or principal part or point: The main of their investments was lost during the war.
10. Literary. the open ocean; high sea: the bounding main.
11. the mainland.
12. in the main, for the most part; chiefly: In the main, the novel was dull reading.
adv.
13. South Midland U.S. (chiefly Appalachian). very; exceedingly: The dogs treed a main big coon.
v.i., v.t.
14. Slang. mainline.
[bef. 900; (n.) ME meyn, mayn strength, power, OE maegen, c. ON megin(n), megn strength; (adj.) ME mayn, partly < ON megenn, megn strong, partly independent use of OE maegen (n.) taken as an adj. in compounds, as in maegen-weorc, lit., work of might]
Syn. 1. cardinal, prime, paramount, primary, capital. 2. pure, direct. 7. conduit. 8. might.
Ant. 1. secondary, least. 8. weakness.
main2
/mayn/, n.
a cockfighting match.
[1560-70; perh. special use of MAIN1; cf. main chance]

* * *

(as used in expressions)

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • main — main …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • MAIN — La main, organe de préhension et récepteur sensitif important, est l’apanage des Primates et de l’homme. En vérité, la main humaine possède une signification particulière, car elle se trouve à l’extrémité du membre supérieur qui est libéré des… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Main — Karte des Mainverlaufs Daten Gewässerkennzahl …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • main — Main, f. monosyl. Manus. l Espagnol et l Italien le disent de mesmes, Mano. La main dextre, Dextera, vel Dextra. La main senestre ou gauche, Laeua, Sinistra. Main chargée et pleine de quelque chose, Grauis manus. La main est toute engourdie et… …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • Main FM — Allgemeine Informationen Empfang früher: analog terrestrisch, Kabel …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Main — (m[=a]n), a. [From {Main} strength, possibly influenced by OF. maine, magne, great, L. magnus. Cf. {Magnate}.] 1. Very or extremely strong. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] That current with main fury ran. Daniel. [1913 Webster] 2. Vast; huge. [Obs.] The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Main — Main, n. [AS. m[ae]gen strength, power, force; akin to OHG. magan, Icel. megin, and to E. may, v. [root]103. See {May}, v.] 1. Strength; force; might; violent effort. [Obs., except in certain phrases.] [1913 Webster] There were in this battle of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Main — der; [e]s: rechter Nebenfluss des Rheins. * * * I Main   [dt. »Haupt «], die Hauptfunktion in einem C bzw. C++ Programm (C, C++). Jedes C bzw. C++ Programm muss genau eine solche Funktion enthalten, von der ausgehend der weitere Ablauf des Progr …   Universal-Lexikon

  • main — [mān] n. [ME < OE mægen, akin to ON magn: see MIGHT2] 1. physical strength; force; power: now only in with might and main, with all one s strength, with all one s strength 2. [< MAIN the adj.] the principal or most important part or point:… …   English World dictionary

  • main — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ chief in size or importance. ► NOUN 1) a principal water or gas pipe or electricity cable. 2) (the mains) Brit. public water, gas, or electricity supply through pipes or cables. 3) (the main) archaic or literary the open ocean …   English terms dictionary

  • main — (m[=a]n), n. [F. main hand, L. manus. See {Manual}.] 1. A hand or match at dice. Prior. Thackeray. [1913 Webster] 2. A stake played for at dice. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] 3. The largest throw in a match at dice; a throw at dice within given… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”