| 释义 |
▪ I. main, n.1|meɪn|
Forms: 1 mæᵹen, mæᵹn, 2–4 mein, (3 Lay. mæin), 3–4 meyn, 3–6 mayn, 4–6 Sc. mane, 4–7 maine, mayne, 3– main.
[OE. mæᵹen, = OS. megin, OHG. magan, megin, ON. magn, megn, megin, f. root *mag-: see may v., might n.]
I.
1. a. Physical strength, force, or power. Obs. exc. in phr. with might and main (see 2).
Beowulf 789 Se þe manna wæs mæᵹene strengest. c1205Lay. 26698 Þer he finden mihte þe his main wolde fondien hond aȝan honde. c1275Luue Ron 69 in O.E. Misc. 95 Ector wiþ his scharpe meyne. c1325Old Age x. in E.E.P. (1862) 149, I spend, an marrit is mi main. 1375Barbour Bruce i. 444 The king..went till Ingland..With mony man off mekill mayn. Ibid. vi. 318 Thair chiftane Wes of sic hert and of sic mane, That [etc.]. 1460Lybeaus Disc. (Kaluza) 560 He nadde main ne miȝt. c1470Henry Wallace i. 320 Hyr eldest son, that mekill was of mayn. 1501Douglas Pal. Hon. iii. lxxvi, Thay with speir, with swordis, and with kniues, In just battell war fundin maist of mane. 1590Spenser F.Q. i. vii. 11 He gan aduaunce With huge force and insupportable mayne.
†b. fig., and in immaterial applications. Obs.
a1300Cursor M. 21051 (Cott.) O treind wandes gold he wroght..And efter-ward wit crists main Þam turnd to þair kind egain. 1390Gower Conf. III. 4 Love is of so gret a main, That..Ther mai nothing his miht withstonde. c1440York Myst. xx. 123 Þou arte nowthir of myght ne mayne To kenne it as a clerke may knawe. 1549–62Sternhold & H. Ps. xciii. 1 And he to shew his strength and maine, hath girt himselfe with might.
†c. transf. Of things: Power, virtue, efficacy.
c1000Sax. Leechd. I. 94 Þonne ys seo ærre [wyrt] hwitre, & heo hæfð þas mæᵹnu. c1320Sir Tristr. 1581 Sche com wiþ adrink of main.
2. Phrases. † with (mid) or in all one's main, with main, with all, great or mickle main (in ME. poetry often used as a metrical stopgap or tag): with the utmost strength or vigour one is capable of. † to set one's main to: to apply all one's energies to. † to do one's main: to do one's utmost, one's best. with might and main, † with main and might, † with mood and main, etc.: see might n., mood n. See also amain.
c1175Lamb. Hom. 123 Luuian we hine mid alre heorte..mid alle meine. c1290S. Eng. Leg. I. 104/113 A þousend men with al heore main on hire gonne drawe. c1314Guy Warw. (A.) 884 Gii..Þe stede toke bi the reyn, & lepe vp wiþ gret meyn. c1320Sir Tristr. 1083 Tristrem smot wiþ main. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints iv. (Jacobus) 299 He gert fele knychtis..pryk efter þame in al þar mayne. Ibid. xxvii. (Machor) 8, I wald fayne,..set my mayne sume thing to say of sancte moryse. c1375Cursor M. 1076 (Fairf.) Quen he [sc. Cain] had his broþer slayne To hide him he dide his mayne. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 4048 He thanked god with all his mayne. c1460Towneley Myst. xv. 101 Tell me, Ioseph, with mayn, youre red. 1542Becon Potat. Lent D iv b, That ye cleue stedfastly with all mayne to the promyses which [etc.]. a1568Wyfe of Auchtermuchty vii, Than owt he ran in all his mane.
†3. A host of men; a (military) force. Obs.
a1000Andreas 876 We ðær heahfæderas haliᵹe oncneowon & martyra mæᵹen unlytel. 10..O.E. Chron. an 1004 Ðær wærð East Engla folces seo yld of slaᵹen, ac ᵹif þet fulle mæᵹen þære wære, ne eodan hi næfre eft to scipon swa hi sylfe sædon. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 8999 William courtehese he made of þe verste wardein & in þe oþer bihinde he was him sulf mid al is main.
II. Senses arising from absol. uses of main a.
4. a. ellipt. for main land, mainland. arch.
1555Eden Decades 351 At three leaques off the mayne, there is xv. fadome. 1577–87Holinshed Chron. I. 43/2 This Iland, which for the quantitie thereof maie well be called a maine, although it be inuironed about with the Ocean sea. 1600J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa 50 Not far from the main are certaine dry and rockie isles. 1698Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 14 The most traded Empories here, are St. Augustine on the Island [Madagascar], and Mosambique on the Main. 1711Steele Spect. No. 11 ⁋5 The Achilles, in some distress, put into a Creek on the Main of America. 1823Byron Juan vii. xxxi, Their Delhis mann'd some boats and..tried to make a landing on the main. 1839Thirlwall Greece VI. l. 196 The island..was separated from the main by a channel half a mile broad. 1891J. Winsor Columbus xiii. 290 He was anxious to make a thorough examination of Cuba, which was a part of the neighboring main of Cathay, as he was ready to suppose.
b. Short for Spanish Main, q.v.
1890Corbett Sir F. Drake iii. 33 Drake..sailed once more for the Main. 1897Henley Hawthorn & Lavender, etc. (1901) 95 The trim Slaver..Held..Her musky course from Benin to the Main, And back again for niggers.
5. a. ellipt. for main sea: The high sea, the open ocean. Now poet.
1579–80North Plutarch, C. Marius (1595) 468 The winde stoode full against them comming from the maine [F. le uent se tourna du costé de la pleine mer]. 1601R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 211 They dare not venter into the maine, but houering by the shore, timerously saile from one place to another. 1695Woodward Hist. Earth i. 27 The Tides and Storms..affect only the superficial parts of the Ocean,..but never reach the greater Depths, or disturb the bottom of the Main. 1698Froger Voy. 65 A gentle Breeze came off from the Main [F. du large]. 1731Pope Ep. Burlington 198 Bid the broad Arch the dang'rous Flood contain, The Mole projected break the roaring Main. 1764Goldsm. Trav. 410 To traverse climes beyond the western main. 1847Tennyson Princess vii. 21 As one that climbs a peak to gaze O'er land and main.
fig.1597R. Johnson Champions (1608) ii. Addr., But having better hope I boldly leade thee to this mayne from this doubtfull floude where I rest. 1602Marston Ant. & Mel. iv. Wks. 1856 I. 46 Launched out Into the surgy maine of government. 1839Longfellow Ps. of Life viii, Sailing o'er life's solemn main.
†b. transf. A broad expanse. poet. Obs.
c1600Shakes. Sonn. lx. 5 Natiuity once in the maine of light, Crawles to maturity. 1667Milton P.L. x. 257 Adventrous work,..to found a path Over this Maine from Hell to that new World Where Satan now prevailes.
6. a. The most important part of some business, subject, argument, or the like; the chief matter or principal thing in hand. (Cf. main n.3 1 b.)
1602Shakes. Ham. ii. ii. 56, I doubt it is no other, but the maine, His Fathers death, and our o'er-hasty Marriage. 1615tr. De Monfart's Surv. E. Indies Pref. B iij, Neyther doth he stand vpon any other vayne particulars, but directly goeth to the maine. 1650Baxter Saints' R. i. ii. §1 (1651) 192 If I should here enter upon that task..I should make too broad a digression, and set upon a work as large as the main, for whose sake I should undertake it. 1663Cowley Country-Mouse 5 Frugal, and grave, and careful of the Main. 1702Eng. Theophrast. 132 We let the Main go, while we grasp at the accessories. 1716–20Lett. fr. Mist's Jrnl. (1722) I. 244 She complied with your last Advice, as to the Main.
b. Phrases: in, † for, † on, † upon the main: for the most part; in all essential points; mainly.
a1628Preston New Covt. (1634) 12 Holy men have that apprehension in the maine, but not in a constant tenour at all times. 1639Fuller Holy War i. xvi. (1840) 28 As long as they agree in the main, we need not be much moved with their petty dissensions. 1662H. More Philos. Writ. Pref. Gen. p. vi, Being carried captive by the power of reason into a true belief of things for the main. 1697J. Sergeant Solid Philos. 80 Whence, upon the main, is clearly discovered, how all true Philosophy is nothing but the knowledge of Things. 1699Bentley Phal. 49 Generally and for the main he resided at Crotona. 1711Steele Spect. No. 118 ⁋3, I do not know whether in the main I am the worse for having loved her. 1748Richardson Clarissa (1811) II. 145 If Nancy did not think well of you upon the main. 1799in Spirit Pub. Jrnls. III. 394 John is, upon the main, no fool. 1832J. C. Hare Philol. Mus. I. 163 note, Since writing the above I have found a reading agreeing on the main with mine in the edition of Asconius by Paulus Manutius. 1840Dickens Old C. Shop lvi, Mr. Swiveller being in the main a good-natured fellow. 1893R. Williams in Traill Social Eng. i. 31 In the main, therefore, the leading ideas of the heathen Celt were those of heathen nations generally.
c. Const. of. The chief or principal part (of some whole, material or immaterial); the important or essential point. Phr. † the main of all.
1595Daniel Civ. Wars iii. xxxvii, I know you know how much the thing doth touch The maine of all your states, your blood, your seed. 1601Sir W. Cornwallis Disc. Seneca (1631) M m 2, It is no charity to giue so violently as may waste the maine of an estate. 1631Heywood 2nd Pt. Maid of West ii. Wks. 1874 II. 363 Why that's the main of all: all without his freedome That we can aime at's nothing. 1647May Hist. Parl. i. viii. 104 It was not onely agreed that their Ships..should be restored..but for the maine of all, it was resolved upon by both houses, to give the full summe of {pstlg}300000. 1653Holcroft Procopius ii. 38 But the maine of all: studies he not [etc.]? 1683Cave Ecclesiastici, Chrysostom 501 The main of the Church was destroyed [by fire] in three hours space. 1693Mem. Cnt. Teckely iv. 49 He assaulted them in the Front with the main of his Army. 1711Addison Spect. No. 47 ⁋9 The Persons we laugh at may in the main of their Characters be much wiser Men than our selves. 1750Johnson Rambler No. 68 ⁋3 The main of life is composed of small incidents. 1781Wesley Wks. (1872) IV. 215 He has sufficiently proved the main of his hypothesis. 1845Stephen Comm. Laws Eng. (1874) I. 119 If a lord had a parcel of land detached from the main of his estate. 1880Blackmore Mary Anerley II. xvi. 279 The main of their cargo was landed. 1880A. R. Ellis Sylvestra II. 275 She told him the main of the morning's news. 1903Contemp. Rev. Feb. 190 The main of us have never set eyes upon a Dane before.
†7. The object aimed at; end, purpose. Obs.
Perh. orig. a term of archery. Cf. main n.3 2.
a1610Healey Epictetus' Man. (1636) 6 The ayme of appetite, is to attaine what it affecteth, and the maine of dislike is to avoide what it disliketh. 1610W. Folkingham Art of Survey To Rdr. 3, I ayme not at the Racke nor the Slack, the qualified Meane is the Maine of my Marke. 1623Webster Duchess Malfi ii. i, Bos. You say you would fain be taken for an eminent courtier? Cast. 'Tis the very main of my ambition. 1633B. Jonson Tale of a Tub iii. iv, Wee have by this meanes disappointed him, And that was all the maine I aimed at. 1652R. Boreman Countrymans Catech. i. 1 This Happinesse (or the Salvation of our Soules) being the maine of all our enlarged desires. 1657Sparrow Bk. Com. Prayer 173 Therefore differing so much in the main of the Feast, they would not comply with them.
8. a. A principal channel, duct, or conductor for conveying water, sewage, gas, or electricity, e.g. along the street of a town. (Cf. main drain, 1707–12 s.v. main a. 8 b.) The pl. mains is freq. used, esp. attrib. and in Comb., in a collective sense: the public supply, esp. the electricity supply.
1727Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Building, Where any Stock-Blocks of Wood with Plugs, or any Fire-Cocks, were made and fix'd on any Mains [etc.]. 1762Ann. Reg. 120/1 Wooden pipes were inserted into the mains in almost every street. 1808Murdoch in Phil. Trans. XCVIII. 125 The gas..is conveyed by iron pipes into..gazometers,..previous to its being conveyed through other pipes, called mains, to the mill. 1825Loudon Encycl. Agric. 658 The use of both the large and small mains is to feed the various trenches with water, which branch out into all parts of the meadow. 1871Tyndall Fragm. Sci. (1879) II. xvi. 449 The electric main carrying the outgoing current. 1894Nat. Observer 189/2 Take the case of a lead-pipe led into a block of houses from the iron main. 1895S. P. Thompson & E. Thomas Electr. Tab. & Mem. 4 In factory wiring it is often preferred to keep the positive and negative mains far apart. 1929Radio Times 8 Nov. 433/1 Faultless Radio, coupled to an all-mains system of current supply, operating..without mains hum. 1930Morning Post 18 Aug., With any good receiver, costing from about {pstlg}12 for a battery-operated model, to {pstlg}30 for a mains-model, several foreign stations may be regularly well received. 1936Discovery July 203/1 It is still safer to switch off the current at the mains. 1959Times 26 Aug. 5/4 A transistor radio receiver will soon be a serious challenge to the mains-driven sound radio receiver. 1962Which? Aug. 261/1 The voltage will probably be fixed—a mains voltage of 200 to 250 volts. 1968Listener 22 Aug. 239/1 At the airport there were lights—not from the mains, but from a generator. 1969Soviet Weekly 13 Sept. 12 You rent a cottage with mains water and a gas cooker for 32 to 38 roubles a month. 1971‘H. Calvin’ Poison Chasers xii. 161 There was an old-fashioned mains radio on the sideboard, and I switched it on. 1975Daily Tel. 13 June 13/4 Villages on high ground at the end of the mains system have been temporarily without supplies, the South West Water Authority announced.
fig.1865Masson Rec. Brit. Philos. i. 15 It is not only Britain..that the writer accuses of this folly of not drawing its philosophy from the main.
b. In jocular phr. to turn on the main, to begin to weep copiously.
1837Dickens Pickw. xvi, Blessed if I don't think he's got a main in his head as is always turned on. 1857‘C. Bede’ Verdant Green iii. xi. 90 You've no idea how she turned on the main, and did the briny! 1878M. C. Jackson Chaperon's Cares I. x. 128 The mains were turned on, and tears flowed until weeping became infectious.
9. Short for mainsail (obs.), mainmast.
1535Stewart Cron. Scot. I. 373 Tha led thame in with musall, fuk, and mane. 1894Times 7 Apr. 7/3 All the ships..were gaily decked with bunting, the German flag flying at the main. 1903Blackw. Mag. Apr. 523/1 Skiffs with well-reefed mains scudded for sheltering creeks.
10. techn.
a. ? A principal vein of mineral.
b. A main line of railway.
1867Musgrave Nooks & Corners II. 2 A wide main of this mineral lies beneath the stupendous masses of dark blueish rock. 1892Daily News 8 June 2/3 The railway will be a double main.
▪ II. main, n.2 Sc. and north.|meɪn|
Also 5 mayn; pl. 6 maynis, manis, maines, 7 maynes, mainnes, 8 mainse.
[Aphetic f. domain, demesne.]
†1. mains or main lands = demesne lands. Obs.
1454in 14th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. iii. 10 The sayde Androw Ker sal gyff..tyl the sayde Thom Robson..his mayn landis of Hownum. 1577–95Descr. Isles Scot. in Skene Celtic Scot. III. App. 436 The said John Stewart hes it all under maynes.
2. pl. The farm attached to a mansion house; a home farm. (Now esp. retained in Scotland in the names of farms, e.g. the Mains of Forthar.)
1533Clyfford in St. Papers Hen. VIII, IV. 633 Wher we brynt theis townes that is to wite, Sesfurth..Sesfurth Mayns, Mows Mayns..Cavertone Mayns [etc.]. 1573–4Reg. Privy Council Scot. Ser. i. II. 320 The landis mains and cornis of Sanct Thomas Chapell. a1578Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 226 Ȝe sall haue the manis of Kirkforther for it. 1589Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees 1860) 164, I geue to Mathew Forster,..Edderstoun east hall, and the maynis thairoff. 1597Skene De Verb. Sign., Manerivm,..ane mainnes, or domaine landes,..Because they ar laboured and inhabited be the Lorde, and proprietar of the samin. 1606in North Riding Rec. (1884) I. 48 John Dodsworth of Massam Maynes. 1766W. Gordon Gen. Counting-ho. 468 The tenants and Mainse fall now to be debited for crop 1765. 1769De Foe's Tour Gt. Brit. IV. 72 Every Nobleman's House [in Scotland] hath what they call the Mains, where their Land-labourers, Grooms, and every Body belonging to the Stable and Poultry, reside. 1814Scott Wav. xv, That the Bailie should send his own three milk cows down to the mains for the use of the Baron's family. 1834H. Miller Scenes & Leg. xxvii. (1857) 398 He was employed..at the Mains of Invergordon.
▪ III. main, n.3|meɪn|
Also 6–7 maine, mayne.
[Of obscure history.
From the early use in antithesis with by (which seems in the game of hazard to have meant the same as chance in the later language) the word would appear to be an absolute or elliptical application of main a. (Cf. main chance.) The usual view that the word is a. F. main ‘hand’ has no evidence; quot. c 1685–8 in sense 3 prob. embodies a mere etymological speculation.]
1. In the game of hazard, a number (from five to nine inclusive) called by the ‘caster’ before the dice are thrown.
‘If he ‘throws in’, or ‘nicks’, he wins the sum played for from the banker or ‘setter’... If the caster ‘throws out’ by throwing aces, or deuce, ace (called crabs), he loses... If the caster neither nicks nor throws out, the number thrown is his ‘chance’, and he keeps on throwing till either the chance comes up, when he wins, or till the main comes up, when he loses’ (Encycl. Brit. s.v. Hazard).
1580Ld. Offaley in Stanyhurst æneis, etc. (Arb.) 153, I loathe too see them [sc. dice-players] sweare.., When they the mayne haue lost; Forgetting al thee byes, that weare With God and holye goast. 1580Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 289 Not vnlyke the vse of foule gamesters, who hauing lost the maine by true iudgement, thinke to face it out with a false oath. 1598R. Barckley Felic. Man Pref., Diceplayers, that gaine more by the bye then by the maine. a1635Corbet Poems (1807) 128 Amongst the gamsters, where they name thee [the pox] thicke At the last maine, or the last pocky nicke. 1665Earl of Dorset Song written at Sea vii, To pass our tedious Hours away, We throw a merry Main. 1684Otway Atheist iii. i, The Main was Seven, and the Chance Four. 1726Art & Myst. of Gaming Exposed 29 Loaded or Scooped Dice are..changed as often as the Main and Chance, or Occasion requires. 1731Fielding Mod. Husb. ii. x, La. Char. Eleven mains together, Modern; you are a devil. Mr. Gaywit. She has always great luck at Hazard. 1777Colman Epil. Sheridan's Sch. Scand. (1883) 76 Seven's the main. 1837Thackeray Ravenswing viii, He likes to throw a main of an evening. 1881Shorthouse J. Inglesant (1882) II. 306 Come and take your chances in the next main. 1894Maskelyne Sharps & Flats 255 The first throw made by the player is called the ‘main’.
†b. fig. esp. coupled with or in antithesis to by (see by n.2 1). Obs.
1567,1580[see by n.2 1]. 1589Warner Alb. Eng. Prose Addit. 155 Whatsoeuer thy play be in Affrick, let henceforth the Mayne be Italie. 1593Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, i. i. 208 Then lets make hast away, And looke vnto the maine. 1595Maroccus Ext. (Percy Soc.) 12 Horse. No, no, his minde was on the twentieth daie of the moneth following, when his money was due. Bankes. Tis good to haue an eie to the maine. 1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iv. i. 47 To set so rich a mayne On the nice hazard of one doubtfull houre. 1602Daniel Civ. Wars vii. xxv, The doubtful Dye of War cast at the Main Is such as one bad Chance may lose you all. 1612R. Daborne Chr. turn'd Turke 8 Deale Merchant-like, put it vpon one maine, And throw at all. 1676G. Towerson Decalogue 462 Recreations..must consequently be..used as things on the by and not as the main. 1781Westm. Mag. IX. 604 When each grave Senator the sport promotes, And throws the main with—cogg'd and loaded votes.
†2. A match (at archery, boxing, bowls). Obs.
Cf. main n.1 7. But in the first quot. a maine may possibly be amain adv.
1589Nashe Martins Months Mind To Rdr. C 3 b, To shoote a maine for the vpshot, at the fairest markes of all. 1812Sporting Mag. XXXIX. 19 The champion has won a main, and certainly Molineux could have no chance in any combat with him. 1886Cheshire Gloss. s.v., A main at bowls is a match played by a number of couples, the winners again playing in couples against each other till one man is left the victor. [Cf. Welsh main in 3.]
3. A match fought between cocks. Hence occas. a number of cocks engaged in a match. Welsh main (see quot. 1770); transf. (see quot. 1886).
[c1685–8MS. Life of Alderman Barnes in Brand Pop. Antiq. (1813) I. 481 His chief Recreation was Cock-fighting... One Cock particularly he had, called ‘Spang Counter’, which came off victor in a great many battles a la main. 1716Lond. Gaz. No. 5429/4 There will be By-Battles,..And in the Afternoon will begin the main Match.] 1760R. Heber Horse Matches ix. 154 A Main of Cocks were fought between the D. of Cleveland and Ld. Northumberland. 1770S. Pegge in Archæologia (1775) I. 149 The Welsh-main consists, we will suppose of sixteen pair of cocks; of these the sixteen conquerors are pitted a second time; the eight conquerors of these are pitted a third time; the four conquerors the fourth time; and lastly, the two conquerors of these are pitted a fifth time. 1828Scott F.M. Perth xxi, Laying schemes for massacring men on Palm Sunday, as if he were backing a Welsh main, where all must fight to death. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xvii. IV. 57 The dexterity with which he..turned conversation away from matters of state to a main of cocks or the pedigree of a racehorse. 1880Jefferies Gr. Ferne F. 59 He could swear and drink no more, nor fight a main of cocks every Sunday afternoon on his dining room table. 1886Cheshire Gloss. s.v., There is also the term Welsh main, applied in a secondary sense to voting: voting until two only are left in, and then for those two alone. 1890H. Frederic Lawton Girl 33, I've seen dog-fights and cock-mains in England.
▪ IV. main, n.4|meɪn|
Also 7 meane.
[a. F. main.]
†1. Her. The hand. Obs.
1688R. Holme Armoury i. 103/2 Our old English terms were..Maine for Hand. Meane Dexter for R. Hand.
2. ‘A banker's shovel for coin’ (Knight 1875).
Cf. F. main, ‘pelle de tôle, à manche de bois très-court’ (Littré).
▪ V. main, a.|meɪn|
Forms: [1 mæᵹen-], 3 mæin, 4–7 mayn, 5 Sc. mane, 5–7 mayne, 6–7 maine, maigne, 5– main.
[Prob. partly repr. OE. mæᵹen- (main n.1) in compounds, and partly an adoption of the cognate ON. megenn, megn adj., strong, powerful; in some uses (e.g. in main sea = ON. megensiór) it seems to represent ON. megen- (= main n.1) in compounds.
It is doubtful whether the development of the Eng. word owes anything to the influence of OF. maine, maigne great:—L. magnus. The OFr. word is purely poetical, and occurs chiefly as an epithet of kings and nobles; it may prob. have influenced the use of main by ME. poets, but the only unequivocal evidence of its adoption is the 15th c. Sc. Alexandir the mane, Charlis the mane (see mane a.).]
1. Strong, vigorous, mighty; possessed of, manifesting, or exerting, great physical strength or force.
†a. Said of acts or activities which imply force or energy. Obs.
[Beowulf 1519 (Gr.) Mæᵹenræs forᵹeaf hildebille.] 13..Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 336 No more mate ne dismayd for hys mayn dintez. c1400Destr. Troy 6915 He myst of þe mon with his mayn dynt. c1600in Boys' Wks. (1629) 626 Jesu thy loue within me is so maine,..That with thy loue my heart is well nigh rent. 1629Maxwell tr. Herodian (1635) 273 If they be driven to fly, or pursue the enemie, their long loose garments are a maine let to them. 1641Baker Chron. (1660) 87 This was a main blow to Prince Lewis, and the last of his battels in England. 1644Digby Mans Soul (1645) 33 These two powerfull motives..have so maine an influence in mens actions. 1653H. More Antid. Ath. ii. viii. (1712) 62 Without main violence done to our Faculties we can in no wise deny it. 1667Milton P.L. vi. 243 Soaring on main wing. 1671― Samson 1634 Those two massie Pillars That to the arched roof gave main support. 1671H. Foulis Hist. Rom. Treasons iii. ii. 136 She also gave a main stroke against Cecchino.
b. As an epithet of force, strength, etc.: Exerted to the full, sheer. Esp. in phr. by (or † with) main force; † similarly, by or with main strength, main dint, main power, main courage, main importunity, main labour. † with main logic = by sheer force of reasoning.
[Beowulf 2678 (Gr.) Þa ᵹen guðcyning mærða ᵹemunde, mæᵹenstrengo, sloh hildebille. a1000Guthlac 1105 (Gr.) Þæs weres stihtung, mod & mæᵹencræft.] 1542Becon Christmas Banq. F viij, Therfore ought all men..with all mayne & francke courage to apply themselues to the diligent practyse of good workes. 1579Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 111 Loue creepeth into the minde by priuie craft, and keepeth his holde by maine courage. 1579Fulke Ref. Rastel 734 M. R. hath gotten the day, and that with maine logike. 1593Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, i. i. 208 That Maine, which by maine force Warwicke did winne. 1605Verstegan Dec. Intell. iii. (1628) 56 By meere valour and maine force of armes they attained vnto their desired habitation. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, ii. ii. 7 A man of my Lord Cardinalls, by Commission, and maine power tooke 'em from me. 1651Hobbes Govt. & Soc. iii. §9. 43 Each one.. is suppos'd, with all his main might, to intend the procurement of those things which are necessary to his own preservation. 1655Fuller Ch. Hist. ii. v. §46 Next Night they on afresh; and, with main Force, plucked up the ponderous Coffin upon the Pavement. a1680Butler Rem. (1759) II. 68 To prosecute his suit, till he recover it against him by main Importunity. 1687Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 18 They [old Galleys] were carried by main strength over the Isthmus of Corinth. 1697tr. Le Comte's Mem. & Rem. China iv. (1737) 103 By main labour they drained the water. 1755Smollett Quix. (1803) II. 182 We were..by main dint of rowing kept from running a-ground. 1810Scott Lady of L. i. xxiv, Yet with main strength his strokes he drew. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. i. I. 123 To restrain his musqueteers and dragoons from invading by main force the pulpits of ministers.
†c. Of motion, etc.: Swift, speedy, rapid. a main pace or speed = at full speed. Obs.
1577–87Holinshed Chron. (1807–8) II. 254 They were constraind..to run awaie a maine pase. 1581Savile Tacitus, Hist. iv. xi. (1591) 175 With a maine course [he] drewe the whole manage of affaires into his owne handes. 1607Markham Caval. iii. x. 51 Some Horsemen..wil..breake into a maine chace and so giue their Horse a sweate. 1609Dekker Raven's Alm. C, Citizens, Schollers and Saylers thinke a horse neuer goes fast enough though he run a maine gallop. a1625Fletcher Cust. Country i. i, We saw e'm Making with all maine speed to 'th port. 1632J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 4 Gallopping a maine speede out of the Quirie.
†d. by or with main hand: with a strong hand, forcibly. Obs.
1567Fenton Trag. Disc. Ep. Ded., Yet, brydlinge wythe maine hand, the humour of theyr inordinate luste. 1583Golding Calvin on Deut. lxxii. 444 God therefore must be faine to ouermaster vs, and to tame vs by maine hande.
†e. Of drink: Potent. Of a voice or cry: Loud. Of a fit, a storm: Violent. Obs. or arch.
13..Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 497 Þaȝ men ben mery in mynde, quen þay han mayn drynk. 1582Stanyhurst æneis iii. (Arb.) 72 With mayne noise lifted to the slayne soule lastlye we shouted. 1611Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. xv. (1623) 810 [He] made towards his Pages with a maine cry. 1627Abp. Abbot Narr. in Rushw. Hist. Coll. (1659) I. 449 My main fit of the Stone did call upon me to get me to the Countrey. 1628Digby Voy. Medit. (1868) 51 It was a maine storme. 1922Joyce Ulysses 339 And he answered with a main cry: Abba! Adonai!
†2. Of an army, host, multitude: Great in numbers; numerous; ‘mighty’; powerful in arms. In 16–17th c., the usual epithet distinctive of a complete and equipped army, as opposed to small or irregular forces. main battle: a pitched battle, as opposed to mere skirmishing. Obs.
[a900Cynewulf Crist 877 (Gr.) Swa on syne beorᵹ somod up cymeð mæᵹenfolc micel.] a1400–50Alexander 3018 He had of men out of mynde many mayn hundreth. 1529More Dyaloge iii. Wks. 227/2 That company, wherof there is such a main multitude. c1540tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden No. 29) 42 Returned againe with a mayne hoste to relieve his people. 1555Eden Decades 116 They goo foorth..with a mayne armye of purpose to hunt for men. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 497 And first the warre beganne by light skirmishes, but after it proceeded into mayne battles. 1583T. Stocker Civ. Warres Lowe C. i. 29 King Philip..determined..to come downe..with a mayne force. 1602Marston Ant. & Mel. iii. Wks. 1856 I. 33 Huge troups of barbed steeds, Maine squares of pikes, millions of harguebush. 1602Carew Cornwall (1769) 149 To withstand any great Navie or maigne invasion. 1612Davies Why Ireland, etc. 19 This young Prince..with a traine of yong Noblemen and Gentlemen,..but not with any maine army, came ouer to take possession of his new Patrimony. 1620Shelton Quix. iv. iii. II. 34 My Father knew that this Giant..would pass with a main power into my Land.
3. a. Of material things, animals, etc.: Of great size or bulk. (Sometimes connoting strength, resisting power, or the like.) Obs. exc. dial.
[Beowulf 3091 (Gr.) Ic on ofoste ᵹefeng micle mid mundum mæᵹenbyrðenne hordᵹestreona. a1000Boeth. Metr. v. 16 Oð him on innan felð muntes mæᵹenstan.] c1205Lay. 15292 ænne muchelne mæin clubbe he bar an his rugge. 13..Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 187 Þe mane of þat mayn hors. c1400Destr. Troy 8748 The triet stones..lemet so light, þat ledes might se Aboute midnyght merke as with mayn torches. a1400–50Alexander 3932 Þan mys out of þis marras as any mayn foxes Come furth. 1604E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iv. iv. 212 In their Temples they set vppe maine Images of pure golde. 1607T. Walkington Opt. Glass 125 Hoist vp to the ridge of a maine billow. c1630Risdon Surv. Devon §329 (1811) 340 A man of extraordinary strength and stature. A main stone,..by him thrown a far distance, witnesseth the one. 1667Milton P.L. vi. 654 Themselves invaded next, and on thir heads Main Promontories flung. 1850Gower Dial. in Proc. Philol. Soc. IV. 222 Main, strong, fine (of growing crops). 1883Hampshire Gloss. s.v., ‘What a great main pond!’
b. Of quantity or amount: Large. Obs. exc. dial.
1609Holland Amm. Marcell. xxii. vii. 199 A maine deale of water breaketh forth. 1868in N. & Q. 4th Ser. II. 287 My vowles eat a main deal of barley. 1894Raymond Love & Quiet Life iv. 34 He axed a main lot o' questions.
4. a. Said of a considerable, uninterrupted stretch of land or water; occas. also of void space. See mainland, main sea.
a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII (1550) 258 The army..so returned home by land, through all the mayn contry of Scotlande. 1553Eden Treat. Newe Ind. (Arb.) 7 The mayne South sea. 1577R. Willes Eden's Decades Pref. 1 The discouery of Peru, in the maigne west Indish lande. 1630R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 119 Upon the West, the South, and the North, the maine Ocean incompasseth it. 1660tr. Amyraldus' Treat. conc. Relig. iii. viii. 481 An infinite essence..diffus'd infinitely in the mane space, beyond the world. 1667Milton P.L. iii. 83 Whom no bounds Prescrib'd, no barrs of Hell..nor yet the main Abyss Wide interrupt can hold. Ibid. vii. 279 Over all the face of Earth Main Ocean flow'd. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Main-ice, a body of impenetrable ice apparently detached from the land, but immovable.
†b. Of earth, rock: Forming the principal or entire mass; ‘solid’. Obs.
1538Leland Itin. V. 79 Penbroke..standith on a veri maine Rocki Ground. 1586Warner Alb. Eng. i. vi. (1589) 18 The entrance is so straite, Cut out the rough maine stonie Rocke. 1615G. Sandys Trav. 174 In the vineyards are sundry places of buriall hewne out of the maine rocke. 1632Lithgow Trav ii. 56 The large promontore..eight miles in length, being the face of a square and maine Rocke. 1638Junius Paint. Ancients 68 Fountaines gushing forth out of a main rock. 1647Sprigge Anglia Rediv. iii. i. (1854) 133 Sir Charles Lloyd..had added to the strength of its natural situation..having cut out of the main earth several works.
†c. of main white: mainly of white. Obs.
1523Fitzherb. Husb. §68 Put..to your coloured mares of mayne whyte, a horse of colour of mayn whyte.
†5.
a. Of an affair, event, etc.: Highly important; having great results or important consequences; momentous. Rarely const. to. Obs.
1581Mulcaster Positions Ep. Ded. (1887) 4 Many and maine affaires of your estate. 1602Warner Alb. Eng. Epit., Hasten we to our purposed prosecution of State matters, mainer, and of more note. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, iii. ii. 215 What croste Diuell Made me put this maine Secret in the Packet I sent the King? a1619Fletcher Mad Lover iii. i, 'Tis a maine worke and full of feare. a1626Bacon New Atl. (1900) 19 So you see, by this maine Accident of Time, wee lost our Traffique with the Americans. 1643Milton Divorce ii. ix. Wks. 1851 IV. 85 In competition with higher things, as religion and charity in mainest matters. 1667― P.L. vi. 471 That, which thou aright Beleivst so main to our success. 1671― P.R. i. 112 They all commit the care And management of this main enterprize To him their great Dictator.
b. Of a person: Great, mighty (in power, rank or position). rare.
[a900Cynewulf Crist 917 (Gr.) Waldendes cyme, mæᵹen⁓cyninges.] c1400Destr. Troy 10290 The Mirmydons hade mynd of þe mayne troiell. Ibid. 10294 But mony of þo Mirmydons þe mayn knight slogh. 1623Fletcher & Rowley Maid in Mill iii. ii, How dare you (Sirrha), 'gainst so main a person, A man of so much Noble note and honour, Put up this base complaint?
6. a. Of things in general, qualities, conditions, actions, etc.: Very great (in degree, value, etc.); highly remarkable (for some quality indicated by the n.); very great or considerable of its kind. (Occas. in superl.) Obs. exc. dial.
[c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxv. 31 Þonne mannes sunu cymð on hys mæᵹen-þrymme.] 13..Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 94 Of sum mayn meruayle, þat he myȝt trawe. c1400Destr. Troy 8807 Þen þos maisters gert make, all with mayn crafte, Fovre lampis full light. a1400–50Alexander 3777 Þai wiȝtly him sente..Of mony & of mekill quat mayn giftis. 1565Jewel Def. Apol. (1611) 41 And this he reckoneth for a great maine lie. 1573G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 23 Main evils you know must have main remmedies. 1600Heywood 1st Pt. Edw. IV, Wks. 1874 I. 32 Affaires, I mean, of so maine consequence. a1619Fletcher Mad Lover ii. ii, And to purchase This day the company of one deare Custard, Or a messe of Rice ap Thomas, needs a maine wit. 1634Relat. Ld. Baltimore's Plantat. (1865) 8 The losse of much linnen, and amongst the rest, I lost the best of mine which is a very maine losse in these parts. 1638Featly Strict. Lyndom. ii. 11 And indeed this is one of our mainest exceptions against the Roman Church. a1656Ussher Ann. vi. (1658) 96 Cyaxares and Cyrus, march against the Babylonian King and Croesus, and gain a main Victory against them. 1668H. More Div. Dial. II. 437 He professes he understands clearly the truth of severall Prophecies of the mainest concernment. 1672Marvell Reh. Transp. i. 80 We shall find ere we have done that there is still a mainer reason. 1815Scott Guy M. v, It's a main untruth. 1883Stevenson Treas. Isl. ii. xii. (1886) 95 It [the island] were a main place for pirates once.
b. With n. indicating a person or agent: Great, remarkable, or pre-eminent for the quality or characteristics indicated. Obs. exc. dial.
c1400Destr. Troy 12260 Thelamon..manast hom mightily as his mayn fos. 1642Rogers Naaman 346 That carnall reason is a maine enemy to all the matters of revealed truths. 1654Whitlock Zootomia 497 Many a one that in his own conceit is a main Husband, and is forward enough to call some..prodigall, will bee found to live, as I said, but in another Street of it. 1691Wood Ath. Oxon. II. 328 Mathew Hazard..a main Incendiary in the Rebellion. 1777Sheridan Trip Scarb. v. ii, I am a main bungler at a long story. 1860Penruddocke Content 31 (E.D.D.) Yow be a main fool.
¶c. main and{ddd} = main adv. (Cf. fine and.., nice and...) dial.
1762Collins Misc. 13 (Halliw.) Observing Dick looked main and blue. 1863Mrs. Gaskell Sylvia's L. xxi. II. 121 T'shop is doing main an' well. 1895‘Rosemary’ Chilterns v. 163 He's a main an' bad, and I believe as 'ee's took for death.
7. a. Chief in size or extent; constituting the bulk or principal part; the chief part of (that which is denoted by the n.). main body, † main battle, the body of troops which form the bulk of an army or armed force, marching between the vanguard and the rear.
1593Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, i. i. 8 Lord Clifford and Lord Stafford all a-brest Charg'd our maine Battailes Front. 1600― A.Y.L. iii. v. 103 To gleane the broken eares after the man That the maine haruest reapes. 1603Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 195 In the maine battell he stood himselfe; the vauntgard was conducted by Temurtases. 1640Fuller Joseph's Coat (1867) 11 The apostle, commending the Corinthians, meaneth the main and general body of the church, though there might be many stragglers justly to be reproved. 1642Rogers Naaman To Rdr., Into which the maine sap of the root is carried. 1670Cotton Espernon i. iii. 111 The King of Navarre commanded the Vant-Guard of the Army, and his Majesty himself the main Battel, reserving the command of the Rear for the Duke of Espernon. 1687T. Brown Saints in Uproar Wks. 1730 I. 78 Whether you march'd in one main body, or in several columns. 1761Hume Hist. Eng. II. xxvii. 131 Lord Howard led the main body of the first line. 1775Johnson Let. to Mrs. Thrale 1 Aug., Our business is to pursue their main army, and disperse it by a decisive battle. 1807Southey Espriella's Lett. I. 277 Of the baptismal names the main proportion are Saxon and Norman. 1812Wellington Disp. 28 July in Examiner 24 Aug. 535/2 The main body of the allied army is..on the Adaja and Zapardiel rivers. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. iv. I. 456 The sturdy country gentlemen who formed the main strength of the Tory party.
†b. Referring or pertaining to all or the majority; general. Obs.
1599Shakes. Hen. V, i. ii. 144 We do not meane the coursing snatchers onely, But feare the maine intendment of the Scot. 1602― Ham. i. iii. 28 Which is no further, Then the maine voyce of Denmarke goes withall. 1613― Hen. VIII, iv. i. 31 By the maine assent Of all these Learned men, she was diuorc'd. c1618Fletcher Queen of Corinth ii. iii, For I am nothing now but a maine pestilence Able to poyson all. a1638Mede Wks. (1672) 761 There may be some Præludia of some particulars converted upon other motives, as a forerunner of the great and main Conversion.
8. a. Great or important above others of the kind; of pre-eminent importance; principal, chief, leading.
1588J. Udall Demonstr. Discipl. (Arb.) 42 They fight hard against this, because it striketh at a maine pillar of their kingdome. 1594Hooker Eccl. Pol. iv. i. §2 In every grand or main public duty which God requireth at the hands of his Church. 1602Shakes. Ham. i. i. 105 And this (I take it) Is the maine Motiue of our Preparations. 1618Bolton Florus (1636) 47 Capua..once accounted after Rome, and Carthage, the third maine City of the World. 1633Bp. Hall Occas. Medit. 138 Every parcell thereof shall seeme maine and essentiall. 1651Hobbes Leviath. iii. xxxiv. 210 Submission to that main Article of Christian faith, that Jesus is the Christ. 1667Milton P.L. ii. 121 If what was urg'd Main reason to perswade immediate Warr, Did not disswade me most. 1732Law Serious C. i. (ed. 2) 15 They are like Heathens in all the main and chief articles of their lives. 1779Sheridan Critic ii. ii, Let your under-plot have as little connection with your main-plot as possible. 1852H. Rogers Ecl. Faith (1853) 166, I went carefully over all the main points of the argument. 1860Tyndall Glac. ii. xxi. 341 Mr. Thomson's main thought was familiar to me long before his first communication..appeared. 1865Lecky Ration. II. v. 178 The main champions of tyrannicide were the Jesuits. 1867Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) I. App. 779 The statements may be grouped under two main heads.
b. Chief or principal in permanent relation to others of the same kind or group. In many collocations, e.g. main drain, main road, main street (see also Main Street), main sewer, main pipe, main root.
a1490Botoner Itin. (Nasmith 1778) 260 The hyest toure called the mayn, id est myghtyest toure aboue all the iiii towres. 1551–60Inv. in H. Hall Eliz. Soc. (1887) 151 Twoo great standing chestes withe one mayne cheste. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 23 The maine roofe of the great Church of Sarisbury was consumed and brent with lightnyng. 1598, etc. [see Main Street]. 1610W. Folkingham Art of Survey ii. v. 55 Plant not the Table at euery Angle, but,..extend from some fewe Maine Angles..Base lines..for Boundaries. 1615W. Lawson Country Housew. Gard. (1626) 15, I vtterly dislike the opinion of those great Gardiners, that..would haue the maine roots cut away. 1617–18in Swayne Sarum Church-w. Acc. (1896) 167 Mendinge one of the maine pypes of the Organ. 1707–12Mortimer Husb. (1721) I. 23 Make your main Drains wide and deep enough to carry off the Water from the whole Level. 1818Scott Hrt. Midl. vii, Opening..the wicket of the main-gate. 1820W. Irving Sketch Bk. I. 50 After turning from the main road up a narrow lane. 1840Dickens Barn. Rudge lxvii, They meant to cut off the main-pipes, so that there might be no water. 1858Lytton What will he do i. i, The main street was lined with booths. 1876Encycl. Brit. IV. 467/2 A rate of fall of 1 in 120..is desirable..for a main sewer. 1878Act 41 & 42 Vict. c. 77 §15 Where it appears to any highway authority that any highway..ought to become a main road by reason of its being a medium of communication between great towns [etc.]. 1879Sir G. Scott Lect. Archit. I. 195 An eastern transept, in addition to that at the main crossing. 1884Bower & Scott De Bary's Phaner. 357 The subsidiary roots..in this class..usually far exceed the main-roots in thickness. 1889Spectator 9 Mar. 331/2 The burglar who leaves the back-door open for escape in case the policeman should enter by the main entrance.
†9. main flood:
a. High water.
b. A large or full-flowing body of water. Also main tide (in quot. fig.).
c. The ocean or main sea. Obs.
c1303Reg. Pal. Dunelm. (Rolls) III. 40 Et eadem aqua mensurari debet a le mainflod, quando eadem aqua ita fluit ut sit plena de bank' en bank'. 1311Ibid. I. 8 Eadem aqua mensurari debet ad mayne flod. 1549–62Sternhold & H. Ps. cxiv. 8, I meane the God which from hard rocks Doth cause mayne flouds appeare. 1555W. Watreman Fardle Facions Pref. 11 Riuers, and maigne floudes, whiche..ouer⁓flowed the neighboured aboute. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. iv. i. 72 You may as well go stand vpon the beach, And bid the maine flood baite his vsuall height. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 35 Quhatevir land is betueine thir twa mane fludes Forth southward, and Tai northward, Fife is called. 1605Camden Rem. (1637) 13 If I should but enter into consideration thereof, I should be over-whelmed with maine tides of matter.
10. Naut. in the sense ‘pertaining to, connected with, or near the mainmast or mainsail’, as main-bonnet, main-boom, main-bowlines, main-bridles, main-capstan, main-chains, † main-drynge (?), main-hatch, main-hatchway, main-hold, main-jeers, † main-knight, main-lifts, main-parrels, main-pendant, main-rigging, main-royal, main-royal-mast, main-shrouds, main-spencer, main studding sail, main-tack, main-tackle, main-truck, main-truss, main-tyes. Also main-brace, etc.
1485Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 37 Mayne shrowdes. Ibid. 39 Maine perells. Ibid. 47 Mainestaies..Maynetyes. Ibid. 48 Mayne trusses. Ibid., Mayne takkes. Ibid., Mayne lyfts. Ibid., Mayne Bowlynes. Ibid. 53 Mayne drynges. 1495Ibid. 198 Mayne Jeres. 1626Capt. Smith Accid. Yng. Seamen 14 The maine-shroudes and chaines. Ibid. 15 The maine bowling and bridles. 1635Brereton Trav. (Chetham Soc.) 125 The Sailors did in all haste take down the lower part of the main-sail and the foresail, which they call the main-bowline or main bonnet. 1678Phillips (ed. 4) s.v., Fore-knight and Main-knight, in Navigation are two short thick pieces of Wood carved, with the head of a Man fast bolted to the Beams upon the second Deck. 1712W. Rogers Voy. 34 He was lash'd to the Main-Gears and drub'd. 1748Anson's Voy. i. viii. 80 Two of our main⁓shrouds..broke. Ibid. x. 99 We..lost a main studding-sail⁓boom. 1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) Bbb 3 b, The main-boom of a brig, sloop, or schooner. 1772–84Cook Voy. (1790) V. 1914 The main-tack of the Discovery gave way. 1833Marryat P. Simple xv, The second lieutenant went up the main-rigging. 1835Sir J. Ross Narr. 2nd Voy. vi. 87 The main and fore hatchway. 1858Simmonds Dict. Trade, Chain-plates..take their name from the mast and are hence called fore-chains, main-chains, or mizen-chains. 1861Sat. Rev. 22 June 635 Entire freedom from dizziness..is possessed by every sailor who mounts to the maintruck of a man-of-war. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Main-tackle, a large and strong tackle, hooked occasionally upon the main pendant. 1872Blackmore Maid of Sker (1881) 46 The ship had no canvas left, except some tatters of the fore-topsail, and a piece of the main-royals. 1897R. Kipling Capt. Cour. iii. 62 Uncle Salters..sat stiffly on the main-hatch.
11. Special collocations in technical use (mostly hyphened): main-bar (see quot.); main beam, (a) Building (see quot. 1940); (b) the undipped beam of the headlights of a motor vehicle; main-breadth, main half-breadth (see quots.); main centre (see quot.); main chancer [chancer n.], an opportunist, one who has an eye to the main chance; main couple Arch., the principal truss in a roof; main course, dish, one of a number of substantial dishes in a large menu; the principal dish of a meal; also fig.; main crop, the chief crop, excluding the early and late varieties or sections; also attrib. (usu. as one word); main drag (see drag n. 3 e); main earth, the chief ‘earth’ in which the fox kennels; main frame Computers (now usu. as one word): (see quots. 1964, 1970); also, any large or general-purpose computer, esp. one supporting numerous peripherals or subordinate computers; † main-holder (see quot.); main keel, the principal keel of a ship, as distinguished from the false keel and the kelson; main man U.S. slang (see quot. 1970); main-master (? supposed by Disraeli to be a miner's word for a colliery owner); main-piece Shipbuilding, (a) ‘the principal piece of timber in a rudder’; (b) ‘the strong horizontal beam of a windlass’ (Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 1867); (c) ‘the principal piece of the head’ (Knight 1875); main plane Aeronaut., a principal supporting surface of an aircraft (as distinguished from a tail plane); also mainplane; main-plate, the principal plate of a lock; main-post Shipbuilding, the stern-post; main range Austral. and N.Z., the principal ridge of a chain of mountains; main sequence Astr., in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram of stellar magnitude against spectral type or decreasing surface temperature, a continuous band of star types extending from the upper left of the diagram (hot, bright stars) to the lower right (cool, dim stars) to which most of the stars in the neighbourhood of the sun belong; freq. attrib. (usu. hyphenated); † main-shire, ? an old name for Warwickshire; main squeeze U.S. slang, an important person; also (with pun on squeeze n. 2 b) a man's principal woman friend (see also quot. 1941); main-transom Shipbuilding = wing-transom (Smyth); main-wale Naut., the lower wale (Smyth); main-way, the gangway or principal passage in a mine; main word, the term adopted in this dictionary to designate a word of sufficient importance to be regarded as a principal word, as distinguished from a subordinate word or a combination; main-work Fortif., ‘the enceinte or principal works inclosing the body of the place’ (Knight Dict. Mech. 1875).
1897Encycl. Sport I. 341 (Driving), *Main-bar, the cross timber fixed to the pole-head, from which hang the swing-bars or leading bars.
1940Chambers's Techn. Dict. 522/1 *Main beam, in floor construction, one of the principal beams transmitting loads direct to the columns. 1964Which? Apr. 47/2 Our drivers particularly liked the headlamps of the BMC Bluebird and Commer on main beam and also found their dipped beam better than the other caravans. 1967Autocar 28 Dec. 2/2 The little trio of warning lights—red for ignition, green for blinkers and blue for main-beam—are set..into the walnut of the facia.
c1850Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 130 *Main⁓breadth, the broadest part of the ship at any particular timber or frame.
1797Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XVII. 378/1 *Main half breadth, is a section of the ship at its broadest part. c1850Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 130 Main half-breadth, half of the main breadth.
1858R. Murray Marine Engines (ed. 3) 231 *Main centre, in side-lever engines, is the strong shaft upon which the side levers vibrate.
1940‘N. Blake’ Malice in Wonderland i. vii. 95 There was a terrific row on the local council... Beauty-snobs versus *main-chancers. 1974Publishers Weekly 5 Aug. 57/1 Candid but never mean-spirited, O'Brien comes across as a deeply dedicated party man who is far more than a main-chancer.
1842Gwilt Archit. Gloss. 958 The *main couples answer to the trusses.
1889A. Filippini Table 21 French dinners are generally served in three *main courses, viz., Relevés, Entrées, and Rotis; all the rest are considered side courses. 1936E. Craig Woman, Wine & Saucepan i. 17 If the courses are few, choose one wine, red or white, according to what you are serving as the main course. 1967Guardian 22 July 4/5 As low as 5s for a main course (meat balls, potato salad). 1970‘M. Underwood’ Silent Liars ii. xii. 134 How many more main courses to come?
1782Mawe & Abercrombie Every Man his own Gardener (ed. 9) 119 Onions or leeks for the *main crop should be sown the beginning or middle of this month. 1859R. Thompson Gardener's Assistant 249 The main crop of the Long Horn, Altrincham, and other large sorts [of carrots] for winter use, should be sown [etc.]. 1877S. Hibberd Amateur's Kitchen Garden 49 The second early and main crop sorts [of peas]. 1883Culture of Vegetables & Flowers (Sutton & Sons) 147 Potatoes for main crops should now be got in. 1908Daily Chron. 2 Oct. 3/5 The ‘White City’ potato..is confidently expected to surpass all the maincrop varieties hitherto produced. 1942R.A.F. Jrnl. 18 Apr. 8 There should be full scale raking down of land and sowing of maincrop Carrots, Onions..and Lettuce. 1962New Scientist 12 Apr. 31/2 Arran Pilot, an early potato, which develops more rapidly than main⁓crop varieties. 1971Arable Farmer Feb. 35/2 Maris Piper. Early maincrop.
1957A. MacNab Bulls of Iberia viii. 81 Three modes: the high spectacular curtain-raisers, the low dominating ‘benders’, and the *main dish or natural passes with the breast pass as their natural complement. 1972J. Ball Five Pieces Jade x. 118 A small, intimate meal was waiting in basic Japanese style... There was no evident main dish as in Western dining.
1897Encycl. Sport I. 582 (Hunting), *Main earth, the fox's own lair and breeding place.
1964Gloss. Data Processing & Communication Terms (Honeywell Inc.) 27/1 *Main frame, (1) the central processor of the computer system. It contains the main storage, arithmetic unit and special register groups... (2) All that portion of a computer exclusive of the input, output, peripheral and in some instances, storage units. 1970A. Chandor et al. Dict. Computers 245 Main frame. Originally implied the main framework of a central processing unit on which the arithmetic unit and associated logic circuits were mounted, but now used colloquially to refer to the central processor itself. 1973Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. CCXI. 282 The development of small main⁓frame computers called ‘minicomputers’. Ibid. 283 Their chief advantages are small size, low price—as low as $2500 for a main frame. 1974Sci. Amer. Apr. 79/1 The laboratory station mainframe has the essentials built-in (power supply, logic state indicators and programmers, and pulse sources to provide active stimulus for the student's circuits). 1975Nature 25 Dec. 654/2 ICL sells ‘mainframe’ computers which are general purpose systems. 1979Computers in Shell (Shell Internat. Petroleum Co.) 1 Computers now range from huge main frames, requiring a specially-equipped computer centre with complex and expensive air conditioning and power supplies and highly-trained staff, to desk-top devices powered by pocket-size batteries. 1984Economist 11 Aug. 77/2 Mainframes, which are used by big businesses for their centralised data processing, are slower than supercomputers (though still very fast).
1688R. Holme Armoury ii. 84/1 In the Root there is The *Main-holder, which is that part of the root next the tree.
1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) s.v. Keel, The false-keel, which is also very useful in preserving the lower side of the *main keel.
1967I. A. Baraka in W. King Black Short Story Anthol. (1972) 126 ‘Hey, man, I saw that d' fagit Bobby Hutchens down in the lobby with a real D.C. queer.’.. ‘Hey man you cats better cool it... You talkin' about Ray's *main man. You dig?’ 1970C. Major Dict. Afro-Amer. Slang 79 Main man, favorite male friend; one's hero.
1845Disraeli Sybil iii. i, It's as easy for a miner to speak to a *main-master, as it is for me to pick coal with this here clay.
c1850Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 144 It [the rudder] is formed of several pieces of timber, of which the *main piece is generally of oak. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Main-piece, the strong horizontal beam of the windlass.
1910R. Ferris How it Flies xx. 464 *Main plane, the principal supporting surface of an aeroplane. In the biplane, or the multiplane type, it denotes the lowest surface, unless some other is decidedly larger. 1913A. E. Berriman Aviation iii. 21 The presence of the two main planes as the distinguishing feature of biplanes. 1946Happy Landings (Air Ministry) July 5/1 The aircraft..was seen..minus the port outer mainplane and engine. 1973Nature 14 Sept. 95/1 A further important observation was of a 20 cm ball which appeared at a height of about 50 cm over the trailing edge of the mainplane of an aircraft in flight.
1677Moxon Mech. Exerc. 22 Cut out of an Iron plate with a Cold Chissel the size and shape of the *Main-Plate.
c1850Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 131 *Main post.
1888‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms II. iii. 52, I say,..we haven't made any mistake—crossed over the *main range and got back to the coast, have we? 1950N.Z. Jrnl. Agric. Jan. 19/1 The barren and unproductive land consists of bare mountain tops, and native bush areas on the slopes of the main ranges. 1971N.Z. Listener 19 Apr. 56/4 A main range is the major backbone of any individual group of mountains.
[1926A. S. Eddington Internal Constitution of Stars vii. 151 The three stars belong to what is now called the ‘main series’ running from types O and B down the dwarf series to type M.] 1927P. Doig Outl. Stellar Astron. i. i. 10 The dwarf branch is now more frequently referred to as the ‘*main sequence’, a name due to Eddington. 1962F. I. Ordway et al. Basic Astronautics vi. 284 A new star not yet hot enough to initiate thermonuclear reactions obtains its luminosity from gravitational contraction. Later, as the star heats up, thermonuclear reactions commence; and it joins the main sequence. 1966McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. XIII. 106/2 Stars that do not belong to the main sequence fall into two main groups: red giants..and white dwarfs... Modern theoretical work indicates that red giants and white dwarfs began their stellar careers as normal main-sequence stars and owe their distinctive properties to evolutionary changes incident on the exhaustion of nuclear energy sources.
1626B. Jonson Masque of Owls, Though that have been a fit Of our *main-shire wit.
1896Ade Artie vii. 63, I went in and asked the *main squeeze o' the works how much the sacque meant to him. 1927D. Hammett in Black Mask Feb. 12/2 Vance seems to be the main squeeze. 1941J. Smiley Hash House Lingo 36 Main squeeze, hostess. 1970H. E. Roberts Third Ear 9/2 Main squeeze, a man's closest woman friend.
1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) s.v. Wales, They are usually distinguished into the *main-wale and the channel-wale.
1881Raymond Mining Gloss., *Mainway, a gangway or principal passage. 1892Daily News 3 Mar. 5/7 Counting ‘mainways’, passages, and cuttings of all descriptions.
1833Straith Fortif. 3 Detached works are those which it sometimes becomes necessary to construct beyond the range of the defensive musketry of the *main works.
▪ VI. main, adv. Now dial.|meɪn|
[f. main a. Cf. similar use of mighty; also the use of ON. megen- (= main n.1) in megenkátr very cheerful, megenmildr very mild, megenvel very well.]
Very, exceedingly. (After the 17th c. chiefly in representations of rustic or illiterate speech.)
1632St. Papers Chas. I, 17 May No. 216 fol. 56 I (Hampsh. Gloss.), Sparing the Toppes of the Trees, which yeeld maine good knees. 1647Lilly Chr. Astrol. xxxviii. 220 A maine strong argument. a1700B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew s.v., Main⁓good, very good. 1741Richardson Pamela I. 201 Ay, said the Idiot, she is main good Company, Madam; no wonder you miss her. 1754Foote Knights ii. i. (1765) 40 Waiter. Would you chuse any refreshment? Suck. A draught of ale, friend, for I'm main dry. 1794Godwin Cal. Williams 40, I know, your honour, that it is main foolish of me to talk to you thus. 1828Scott Jrnl. II. 149, I was main stupid indeed, and much disposed to sleep. 1872Punch 31 Aug. 91/1 Beg your pardon, sir; but I be main deaf, to be sure. 1897Baring-Gould Bladys of the Stewponey viii, The Stewponey is a great house, and ours is a main little one.
▪ VII. main, v.|meɪn|
[f. main road (main a. 8 b).]
1. trans. To convert into a main road.
1927Daily Tel. 7 June 11/3 The widening and ‘maining’ of the road leading to the Royal Hotel corner. 1930Jrnl. Town Planning Inst. XVI. 102/1 It is reported that the process of ‘maining’ roads has been steady and continuous. 1969A. Bird Roads & Vehicles iii. 40 The new county councils were made responsible for maintaining all ‘main’ roads in their counties, though it was left to them to determine which should be ‘mained’.
2. slang. To insert (heroin or a similar drug) into a vein; to mainline.
1970Time 16 Mar. 17 All my friends were on heroin. I snorted a couple of times, skinned a lot, and after that I mained it. 1972J. Brown Chancer v. 69 The bastard, he mained me. I said to skin it, but he mained it. First time. 1973Daily Mail 3 Apr. 19/4 Maining, injecting straight into the vein.
▪ VIII. main
obs. f. mane, moan. |