Main
[meɪn]
Definition
(noun.) a principal pipe in a system that distributes water or gas or electricity or that collects sewage.
(noun.) any very large body of (salt) water.
(adj.) of force; of the greatest possible intensity; 'by main strength' .
Inputed by Estella--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) A hand or match at dice.
(n.) A stake played for at dice.
(n.) The largest throw in a match at dice; a throw at dice within given limits, as in the game of hazard.
(n.) A match at cockfighting.
(n.) A main-hamper.
(v.) Strength; force; might; violent effort.
(v.) The chief or principal part; the main or most important thing.
(v.) The great sea, as distinguished from an arm, bay, etc. ; the high sea; the ocean.
(v.) The continent, as distinguished from an island; the mainland.
(v.) principal duct or pipe, as distinguished from lesser ones; esp. (Engin.), a principal pipe leading to or from a reservoir; as, a fire main.
(a.) Very or extremely strong.
(a.) Vast; huge.
(a.) Unqualified; absolute; entire; sheer.
(a.) Principal; chief; first in size, rank, importance, etc.
(a.) Important; necessary.
(a.) Very; extremely; as, main heavy.
Typed by Carla
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. Chief, principal, leading, most important.
n. [1]. Ocean, great sea.[2]. Continent, mainland.[3]. Main conduit, main pipe, main duct.[4]. Force, power, strength, might.
Checked by Alden
Definition
adj. chief principal: first in importance: leading.—n. the chief or principal part: the ocean or main sea: a continent or a larger island as compared with a smaller: a principal gas or water pipe in a street or the largest conductor in a system of electric lights.—ns. Main′boom the spar which extends the foot of a fore-and-aft mainsail; Main′deck the principal deck of a ship—so in Main′brace the brace attached to the mainyard (see Splice); Main′land the principal or larger land as opposed to a smaller portion.—adv. Main′ly chiefly principally.—ns. Main′mast the principal mast of a ship second from the prow; Main′sail the principal sail generally attached to the mainmast; Main′sheet the sheet or rope attached to the lower corner of the mainsail; Main′spring the spring which gives motion to any piece of machinery esp. that of a watch or a clock; Main′stay the rope which stretches forward from the top of the mainmast: chief support; Main′top a platform on the top of the mainmast; Main′topmast the mast next above the lower mainmast; Main′topsail the sail above the mainsail in square-rigged vessels; Main′yard the lower yard on the mainmast.
n. a hand at dice: a match at cockfighting: a banker's shovel for coin.
n. might: strength.
Editor: Oswald
Examples
- In the main, however, this work is an attempt to find a basis for ethics in natural p henomena. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- Upon the main caravan routes the chief towns rose to a certain second-rate prosperity, and foremost among them were Medina and Mecca. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- This stand by the enemy was made more than two miles outside of his main fortifications. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- The main body of the building is of the time of that highly-overrated woman, Queen Elizabeth. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Beams crossed the opening down into the main floor where the hay-carts drove in when the hay was hauled in to be pitched up. Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- I guess it was satisfactory; we got the money, which was the main point to us. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- While at Cairo I had watched with very great interest the operations of the Army of the Potomac, looking upon that as the main field of the war. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- In that case one of the main points in favor of the accused disappears. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- He knew that his purpose was in the main a good one, and he placed implicit reliance on the high-minded Job. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- The latter, in each case, has in its circuit a resistance, R, to compensate for the resistance of the main line, so that there shall be no inequalities in the circuits. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- The problem now was to get to the main ridge. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- Some sailors being aloft in the main-topsail rigging, the captain had ordered them to race down, threatening the hindmost with the cat-of-nine-tails. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
- Donnez-moi la main, said he, and the spite and jealousy melted out of his face, and a generous kindliness shone there instead. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- Let us run through the main points of your statement and see what they are worth. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- I am happy, which is, to my mind, the main aim of life. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- The gas, when purified, is conveyed to the gas-holder, whence it is forced by pressure into the mains and pipes. Frederick C. Bakewell. Great Facts.
- Au banquet de la vie à peine commencé, Un instant seulement mes lèvres ont pressé La coupe en mes mains encore pleine. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- It was found, however, that the perpendicular pressure of a few inches of water was quite sufficient to force the gas through the mains and small pipes of an extensive range of streets. Frederick C. Bakewell. Great Facts.
- Boilers, engines, dynamos, motors, distribution mains, meters, house-wiring, safety-devices, lamps, and lamp-fixtures--all were vital parts of the whole system. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- In the meantime workmen had been busy digging ditches and laying mains through the district that Edison intended to light. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- In practice, large mains lead from the reservoir to the city, smaller mains convey the water to the various sections of the city, and service pipes lead to the individual house taps. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- The systematic laying out of street mains in the first company district was begun in the summer of 1881. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- September 4, 1882, he turned the current on to the mains for the needed light service, and it stayed on with only one short stoppage for eight years. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- There had been a short-circuit on the copper mains in the station. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- The distribution mains were to be of sufficiently large size that between their most extreme points the loss would not be more than 3 volts. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- This arises from the fact that by the doubling of potential the two outside mains are reduced to one-quarter the cross-section otherwise necessary. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- With the gas holder, the distributing mains of the city are made to connect to receive their supply. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- Thousands of gallons of water were brought in tanks from neighboring cities, and were emptied into the empty reservoir from whence it trickled slowly through the city mains. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
Inputed by DeWitt