Main

6 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  main \main\ (m[=a]n), n. [F. main hand, L. manus. See {Manual}.]
     1. A hand or match at dice. --Prior. --Thackeray.
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     2. A stake played for at dice. [Obs.] --Shak.
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     3. The largest throw in a match at dice; a throw at dice
        within given limits, as in the game of hazard.
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     4. A match at cockfighting. "My lord would ride twenty miles
        . . . to see a main fought." --Thackeray.
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     5. A main-hamper. [Obs.] --Ainsworth.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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.]
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              There were in this battle of most might and main.
                                                    --R. of Gl.
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              He 'gan advance,
              With huge force, and with importable main.
                                                    --Spenser.
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     2. The chief or principal part; the main or most important
        thing. [Obs., except in special uses.]
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              Resolved to rest upon the title of Lancaster as the
              main, and to use the other two . . . but as
              supporters.                           --Bacon.
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     3. Specifically:
        (a) The great sea, as distinguished from an arm, bay,
            etc.; the high sea; the ocean. "Struggling in the
            main." --Dryden.
        (b) The continent, as distinguished from an island; the
            mainland. "Invaded the main of Spain." --Bacon.
        (c) principal duct or pipe, as distinguished from lesser
            ones; esp. (Engin.), a principal pipe leading to or
            from a reservoir; as, a fire main.
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     {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.
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              With might and main they chased the murderous fox.
                                                    --Dryden.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Main \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.]
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              That current with main fury ran.      --Daniel.
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     2. Vast; huge. [Obs.] "The main abyss." --Milton.
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     3. Unqualified; absolute; entire; sheer. [Obs.] "It's a man
        untruth." --Sir W. Scott.
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     4. Principal; chief; first in size, rank, importance, etc.;
        as, the main reason to go; the main proponent.
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              Our main interest is to be happy as we can.
                                                    --Tillotson.
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     5. Important; necessary. [Obs.]
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              That which thou aright
              Believest so main to our success, I bring. --Milton.
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     {By main force}, by mere force or sheer force; by violent
        effort; as, to subdue insurrection by main force.
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              That Maine which by main force Warwick did win.
                                                    --Shak.
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     {By main strength}, by sheer strength; as, to lift a heavy
        weight by main strength.
  
     {Main beam} (Steam Engine), working beam.
  
     {Main boom} (Naut.), the boom which extends the foot of the
        mainsail in a fore and aft vessel.
  
     {Main brace}.
        (a) (Mech.) The brace which resists the chief strain. Cf.
            {Counter brace}.
        (b) (Naut.) The brace attached to the main yard.
  
     {Main center} (Steam Engine), a shaft upon which a working
        beam or side lever swings.
  
     {Main chance}. See under {Chance}.
  
     {Main couple} (Arch.), the principal truss in a roof.
  
     {Main deck} (Naut.), the deck next below the spar deck; the
        principal deck.
  
     {Main keel} (Naut.), the principal or true keel of a vessel,
        as distinguished from the false keel.
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     Syn: Principal; chief; leading; cardinal; capital.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Main \Main\, adv. [See {Main}, a.]
     Very; extremely; as, main heavy. "I'm main dry." --Foote.
     [Obs. or Low]
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  main
       adj 1: most important element; "the chief aim of living"; "the main
              doors were of solid glass"; "the principal rivers of
              America"; "the principal example"; "policemen were
              primary targets" [syn: {chief(a)}, {main(a)}, {primary(a)},
               {principal(a)}]
       2: of a clause; able to stand alone syntactically as a complete
          sentence; "the main (or independent) clause in a complex
          sentence has at least a subject and a verb" [syn: {independent},
           {main(a)}] [ant: {dependent}]
       3: of force; of the greatest possible intensity; "by main
          strength" [syn: {main(a)}]
       n 1: any very large body of (salt) water [syn: {briny}]
       2: a principal pipe in a system that distributes water or gas
          or electricity or that collects sewage

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  158 Moby Thesaurus words for "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