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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Main \Main\, noun [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.]
There were in this battle of most might and main. --R. of Gl.
He 'gan advance, With huge force, and with importable main. --Spenser.
2. The chief or principal part; the main or most important thing. [Obs., except in special uses.]
Resolved to rest upon the title of Lancaster as the main, and to use the other two . . . but as supporters. --Bacon.
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.
{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.
With might and main they chased the murderous fox. --Dryden.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
main \main\ (m[=a]n), noun [F. main hand, L. manus. See {Manual}.]
1. A hand or match at dice. --Prior. --Thackeray.
2. A stake played for at dice. [Obs.] --Shak.
3. The largest throw in a match at dice; a throw at dice within given limits, as in the game of hazard.
4. A match at cockfighting. ''My lord would ride twenty miles . . . to see a main fought.'' --Thackeray.
5. A main-hamper. [Obs.] --Ainsworth.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Main \Main\ (m[=a]n), adjective [From {Main} strength, possibly influenced by OF. maine, magne, great, L. magnus. Cf. {Magnate}.]
1. Very or extremely strong. [Obs.]
That current with main fury ran. --Daniel.
2. Vast; huge. [Obs.] ''The main abyss.'' --Milton.
3. Unqualified; absolute; entire; sheer. [Obs.] ''It's a man untruth.'' --Sir W. Scott.
4. Principal; chief; first in size, rank, importance, etc.; as, the main reason to go; the main proponent. [1913 Webster +PJC]
Our main interest is to be happy as we can. --Tillotson.
5. Important; necessary. [Obs.]
That which thou aright Believest so main to our success, I bring. --Milton.
{By main force}, by mere force or sheer force; by violent effort; as, to subdue insurrection by main force.
That Maine which by main force Warwick did win. --Shak.
{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.
Syn: Principal; chief; leading; cardinal; capital.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Main \Main\, adverb [See {Main}, adjective] Very; extremely; as, main heavy. ''I'm main dry.'' --Foote. [Obs. or Low]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
main
adjective
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)}]
noun
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
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