main

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Most important; principal. See Synonyms at chief.
2. adj. Exerted to the utmost; sheer: by main strength.
3. adj. Nautical Connected to or located near the mainmast: a main skysail.
4. adj. Grammar Of, relating to, or being the principal clause or verb of a complex sentence.
5. adj. Obsolete Of or relating to a continuous area or stretch, as of land or water.
6. n. The chief or largest part: His ideas are, in the main, impractical.
7. n. The principal pipe or conduit in a system for conveying water, gas, oil, or other utility.
8. n. Physical strength: fought with might and main.
9. n. A mainland.
10. n. The open ocean.
11. n. Nautical A mainsail.
12. n. Nautical A mainmast.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Strength; force; violent effort: now used chiefly in the phrase with might and main.
2. n. That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the gross; the bulk; the greater part.
3. n. The principal point; that which is of most importance; the chief or principal object, aim, or effort.
4. n. A broad expanse, as of space or light; unbroken extent; full sweep or stretch.
5. n. Now, specifically
6. n. The expanse of ocean; the open ocean; the high sea.
7. n. A continental stretch of land; a continent; the maiuland, as distinguished from islands.
8. n. A principal duct, channel, pipe, or electrical conductor, as a water- or gas-pipe running along a street in a town, or the largest conductor in a system of electric lights.
9. n. The thick part of meat.
10. Great in size or degree; vast; hence, strong; powerful; important.
11. Principal; prime; chief; leading; of chief or principal importance: as, his main effort was to please.
12. Principal or chief in size or extent; largest; consisting of the largest part; most important by reason of size or strength: as, the main timbers of a building; the main branch of a river; the main body of an army.
13. Full; undivided; sheer: now used chiefly in the phrases main strength, main force.
14. Nautical, belonging to or connected with the principal mast in a vessel.
15. “Big”; angry.
16. Mightily; exceedingly; extremely.
17. n. A hand.
18. n. . A hand at dice; a throw of the dice at hazard.
19. n. A match at cock-fighting.
20. n. A banker's shovel for coin.
21. To furl: said of sails.
22. An obsolete variant of maim.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Principal, most important.
2. n. Strength. [from 9th c.]
3. n. The mainland. [from 16th c.]
4. n. The high seas. [from 16th c.]
5. n. A large pipe or cable providing utility service to a building or area, such as water main or electric main. [from 17th c.]
6. n. The mainsail. [from 17th c.]
7. n. hand (anatomy)

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A hand or match at dice.
2. n. A stake played for at dice.
3. n. The largest throw in a match at dice; a throw at dice within given limits, as in the game of hazard.
4. n. A match at cockfighting.
5. n. A main-hamper.
6. n. Strength; force; might; violent effort.
7. n. The chief or principal part; the main or most important thing.
8. n. The great sea, as distinguished from an arm, bay, etc. ; the high sea; the ocean.
9. n. The continent, as distinguished from an island; the mainland.
10. n. principal duct or pipe, as distinguished from lesser ones; esp. (Engin.), a principal pipe leading to or from a reservoir.
11. adj. Very or extremely strong.
12. adj. Vast; huge.
13. adj. Unqualified; absolute; entire; sheer.
14. adj. Principal; chief; first in size, rank, importance, etc..
15. adj. Important; necessary.
16. adv. Very; extremely.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. any very large body of (salt) water
2. adj. (of a clause) capable of standing syntactically alone as a complete sentence
3. n. a principal pipe in a system that distributes water or gas or electricity or that collects sewage
4. adj. of force; of the greatest possible intensity
5. adj. most important element