What is "main"

main \main\ (m[=a]n), n. [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.

Old English mægen (n.) "power, bodily strength, force, efficacy," from Proto-Germanic *maginam "power," suffixed form of PIE root *magh- (1) "be able, have power" (see may (v.)). Original sense preserved in phrase with might and main. Meaning "principal channel in a utility system" is first recorded 1727 in main drain. Used since 1540s for "continuous stretch of land or water;" in nautical jargon used loosely for "the ocean," but in Spanish Main the word is short for mainland and refers to the coast between Panama and Orinoco (as contrasted to the islands of the West Indies).

early 13c., "large, bulky, strong," from Old English mægen- "power, strength, force," used in compounds (such as mægensibb "great love," mægenbyrðen "heavy burden;" see main (n.)), probably also from or influenced by Old Norse megenn (adj.) "strong, powerful." Sense of "chief" is c.1400. Main course in the meal sense attested from 1829. Main man "favorite male friend; hero" is from 1967, U.S. black slang.

Etymology 1 a. 1 (label en obsolete) great in size or degree; vast; strong; powerful; important. 2 principal; prime; chief; leading; of chief or principal importance. (from 15th c.) adv. (label en British dialectal) very; very much; greatly; mightily; extremely; exceedingly. Etymology 2

n. 1 (label en obsolete except in might and main) strength; power; force; violent effort. (from 9th c.) 2 That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the gross; the bulk; the greater part. 3 (label en now archaic US dialectal) The mainland. (from 16th c.) 4 (label en now poetic) The high seas. (from 16th c.) 5 A large pipe or cable providing utility service to a building or area, such as water main or electric main. (from 17th c.) 6 (label en nautical) The mainsail. (from 17th c.) Etymology 3

n. 1 A hand or match in a game of dice. 2 A stake played for at dice. 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. 5 A main-hamper, or fruit basket.

1. n. 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

1. adj. 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)]

The Main is a river in Germany. With a length of (including the White Main: ), it is the longest right tributary of the Rhine, and the longest river lying entirely in Germany (if the Weser and the Werra are considered as two separate rivers; together they are longer). The largest cities along the Main are Frankfurt am Main and Würzburg.

Main is a lunar crater that is located near the north pole of the Moon. The southern rim of this formation has merged with the larger crater Challis to the south, and the level interior floor connects the two craters through a narrower gap. To the north-northwest of Main is Gioja.

This formation consists of three overlapping craters that were joined together when the interior floor was resurfaced by lava flows, leaving a generally circular formation with outward bulges to the west and northeast. The same lava has joined the floor of Main with Challis to the south.

The surviving rim of Main is a low slope that is nearly level with the surrounding terrain at its top. There is a small crater lying across the eastern rim that is roughly bowl-shaped and missing its western rim. The floor of Main is nearly level, and marked by a number of tiny craterlets that lie nearly in a band across the floor from the southwest towards the northeast. There is no central peak within the crater, and no other hills of note.

Main may refer to:

Main was a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Niles Center branch, now known as the Yellow Line. The station was located at Main Street and Skokie Boulevard in Skokie, Illinois. Main was situated south of Dempster and north of Oakton. Main opened on March 28, 1925, and closed on March 27, 1948, upon the closing of the Niles Center branch.

Main (first name and dates unknown) was an English cricketer who was associated with Middlesex and made his first-class debut in 1830.

Main were a British band formed in 1991 by the guitarists Robert Hampson and Scott Dowson, the former members of Loop. Drawing on their former group's experimentation with texture and noise, the duo moved further into ambient sound, eventually abandoning traditional percussion and guitar altogether. In 2006, Hampson announced that Main had effectively been disbanded in favour of his solo work.

In October 2010, Hampson announced that he would be reactivating Main, and that along with his solo acousmatic work, he would start performing and recording in a more collaborative process with other sound artists.

In 2011, the German composer Stephan Mathieu joined Hampson for a current incarnation of Main.

Main as a surname may refer to

• Alan Main, Scottish football goalkeeper
• Alexander H. Main. American politician
• Anne Main, British politician
• Bert Main, Australian zoologist
• Grant Main, Canadian rower
• James Main, Scottish football player
• John Main, British Benedictine monk
• Marjorie Main, American actress
• Michel Main, French traditionalist Catholic bishop
• Robert Main, British astronomer
• Sandy Main, Scottish football player
• Terence Main (born 1954), American modernist sculptor
• Willett Main, American politician

Main (full name and dates of birth and death unknown) was an English cricketer. Main's batting style is assumed to be left-handed.

Main made his first-class debut for Middlesex against the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's in 1830, with him making a further first-class appearance for the county against the same opposition in that year. In 1833, he made a third appearance in first-class cricket, this time for a team of left-handed players against the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's Cricket Ground. Main scored a total of 32 runs in this three matches, averaging 8.00, with a high score of 17.

Main Crater is an impact crater in the Mare Australe quadrangle of Mars, located at 76.6°S latitude and 310.9°W longitude. It is 109.0 km in diameter and was named after Rev. Robert Main, and the name was approved in 1973 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). The floor of Main shows dark portions which are caused by pressurized carbon dioxide blowing dust in the atmosphere in the spring when the temperature goes up. Some of the dust is shaped into streaks if there is a wind.

Many ideas have been advanced to explain these features. These features can be seen in some of the pictures below.

Close up views of these features often reveal fuzzy features that have been named "spiders."