Definition of "main" in Anglais

adjective

1. Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.

   • The main office is actually one of the smaller rooms.

2. Chief, most important, or principal in extent, size, or strength; consisting of the largest part.

   • main timbers
   • main branch of a river
   • main body of an army

3. (archaic, of force, strength, etc.) Full, sheer, undivided.

4. (dialectal) Big; angry.

5. (nautical) Belonging to or connected with the principal mast in a vessel.

6. (obsolete) Great in size or degree; important, powerful, strong, vast.

adverb

1. (British, dialectal) Exceedingly, extremely, greatly, mightily, very, very much.

verb

1. (transitive, slang) Ellipsis of mainline (“to inject (a drug) directly into a vein”).

2. (transitive, gaming) To mainly play a specific character or side, or with specific equipment, during a game.

   • He mains the same character as me in that game.
   • What race do you main and what is your favourite race to beat?
   • For new players, I recommend maining the dagger and using the axe as a backup weapon.

3. (obsolete) To convert (a road) into a main or primary road.

noun

1. (not in generic modern use) That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the bulk, the greater part, gross.

2. A large cable or pipe providing utility service to an area or a building, such as a water main or electric main.

   • There's a gas leak in the main outside the building.

3. (informal) Ellipsis of main course (“the principal dish of a meal”).

   • I had scampi and chips for my main and a slice of cheesecake for dessert.

4. (now poetic) The high seas.

5. (now archaic, US dialectal) The mainland.

6. (nautical) Ellipsis of mainsail.

7. (obsolete, except in might and main) Force, power, strength, violent effort.

noun

1. (obsolete, gaming) A hand or match in a game of dice.

   • 1876, Charles Dickens, All the Year Round That no minute might be wasted, the gay gallants of the time generally had a dice-box and a cast of dice in their pockets. This was convenient in the extreme, as, in the intervals of racing, a main could be thrown […]