Main Definition

mān
adjective
Most important; principal.
American Heritage
Strong; powerful.
Webster's New World
Exerted to the utmost; sheer.
American Heritage
Chief in size, extent, importance, etc.; principal; leading; specif., designating a large central unit on which subsidiaries or branches depend.
The main post office.
Webster's New World
Of, near, or connected with the mainmast or mainsail.
Webster's New World
noun
The principal or most important part or point.
Webster's New World
Physical strength; force; power.
Webster's New World
A principal pipe, conduit, or line in a distribution system for water, gas, electricity, etc.
Webster's New World
The mainland.
Webster's New World
The high, or open, sea; ocean.
Webster's New World
pronoun

A river in southern Germany, flowing from Bavaria to the Rhine.

Wiktionary
adverb

(UK, dialectal) Very; very much; greatly; mightily; extremely; exceedingly.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Main

Noun

Singular:
main
Plural:
mains

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Main

  • by main force (or strength)

Origin of Main

  • From Middle English main, mayn, meyn, partly from Old English mægen- ("strong, principal, main"; used in combination), from Old English mæġen (“strength"), and partly from Old Norse megn, megenn (“strong, main"); both from Proto-Germanic *maginÄ… (“strength, power, might"), *maginaz (“strong"), from Proto-Indo-European *mogh-, *megh- (“power"). Cognate with Old High German megÄ«n (“strong, mighty"), German Möge, Vermögen (“power, wealth"). Akin also to Old English magan (“to be able to"). More at may.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old English mægen strength magh- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Old English mægen (“strength"), later also taking senses from the adjective.

    From Wiktionary

  • French main (“hand"); compare manual.

    From Wiktionary

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