main

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• General-American, Received-Pronunciation: mān
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• General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /meɪn/
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• General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -eɪn
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• homophone: mane
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• homophone: Maine
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• CMU ARPABET: M EY1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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From Middle English mayn, main, maine, mæin, meyn, from main (noun) (see further at etymology 2); compare Old English mæġen (“strong, main, principal”) (used in combination) and Old Norse megn, megenn (“strong, main”). The word is cognate with Old High German megīn (“strong, mighty”) (modern German Möge, Vermögen (“power, wealth”)), and also akin to Old English magan (“to be able to”). See also may.

From Latin Moenis.

From an Mhaing, possibly from Old Irish mang (“fawn”), which is said to be related to Proto-Celtic *makwos (“son”); also compare Proto-Germanic *maguz.

* As a Scottish surname, reduced from the North Germanic name Magnus. Also from the adjective main. * As a Scottish, English, French and Norman surname, from personal names derived from Proto-West Germanic *magan (“to be able”), similar to Mein. * As a Scottish, English and Norman surname, from the French province of Maine. Compare Mansell. * As a Scottish, English, and Norman surname, from the Anglo-Norman adjective maine (“great, large”), from Old French magne. * As a Scottish, English, Norman and French surname, from the noun main (“hand”).

From main.

From Middle English mayn, main, maine, mæine, mæȝen, from Old English mæġen (“strength”), from Proto-Germanic *maginą (“strength, power, might”), *maginaz (“strong”), from Proto-Indo-European *megh- (“be able”). The word is cognate with Old High German magen, megin, Old Norse magn, megn, megin, Old Saxon megin. More recent senses are derived from the adjective.

Uncertain; probably from the adjective main. Evidence is lacking for a derivation from French main (“hand”).

Uncertain, possibly from French main (“hand”).

133 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: رَئِيسِيّ (raʔīsiyy) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Arabic: رئيسي (raʔīsi) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Armenian: գլխավոր (glxavor) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Asturian: principal — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Azerbaijani: əsas — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Belarusian: гало́ўны (halówny) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Belarusian: асно́ўны (asnówny) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Bulgarian: гла́вен (gláven) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Bulgarian: осно́вен (osnóven) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Catalan: principal — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Chinese Mandarin: 首要 (shǒuyào) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Chinese Mandarin: 重要 (zhòngyào) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Chinese Mandarin: 主要 (zhǔyào) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Czech: hlavní — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Danish: hoved- — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Danish: generel — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Danish: hovedsagelig — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Dutch: hoofd- — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Dutch: voornaamste — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Dutch: belangrijkste — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Esperanto: ĉefa — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Estonian: pea- — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Finnish: pää- — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Finnish: pääasiallinen — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Finnish: valta- — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• French: principal — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Galician: principal — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Georgian: მთავარი (mtavari) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• German: haupt- — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• German: hauptsächlich — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Greek: κύριος (kýrios) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Ancient Greek: κεφάλαιος (kephálaios) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Hebrew: ראשי (rashí) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Hebrew: עִיקָּרִי (‘ikarí) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Hindi: मुख्य (mukhya) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Hindi: प्रमुख (pramukh) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Hindi: प्रधान (pradhān) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Hungarian: fő — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Icelandic: aðal- — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Indonesian: terutama — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Indonesian: paling penting — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Italian: principale — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Japanese: 主要な (shuyōna) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Japanese: 主な (omo na) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Japanese: 主 (shu) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Khmer: ដើម (daəm) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Korean: 주요하다 (juyohada) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Latin: prīncipālis — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Lingala: ya libosó — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Macedonian: главен (glaven) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Malay: utama — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Malay: tino — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Manx: ard-nheeagh — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Māori: matua — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Māori: tino — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Eastern Mari: тӱҥ (tüŋ) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Norman: prîncipal — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Norwegian: hoved- — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Old English: hēafod- — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Old English: hēafodlīċ — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Polish: główny — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Portuguese: principal — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Romanian: principal — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Russian: гла́вный (glávnyj) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Russian: основно́й (osnovnój) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Serbo-Croatian: гла̀внӣ — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Serbo-Croatian: glàvnī — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Slovak: hlavný — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Slovene: gláven — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Spanish: principal — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Spanish: troncal — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Swedish: huvudsaklig — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Swedish: generell — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Swedish: allmän — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Swedish: compounds with huvud — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Tagalog: pangunahin — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Tày: cải — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Telugu: ముఖ్యమైన (mukhyamaina) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Telugu: ప్రధానమైన (pradhānamaina) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Thai: หลัก (làk) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Tibetan: ལྟེ་བ (lte ba) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Tigrinya: መበገሲ (mäbägäsi) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Turkish: ana — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Ukrainian: головни́й (holovnýj) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Ukrainian: основни́й (osnovnýj) — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Vietnamese: chính — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Vietnamese: chủ yếu — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Volapük: cifik — chief, most important, or principal in extent, etc.
• Armenian: Մայն (Mayn) — river in southern Germany
• Bulgarian: Майн (Majn) — river in southern Germany
• Catalan: Main — river in southern Germany
• Chinese Mandarin: 美茵河 (Měiyīn hé) — river in southern Germany
• Czech: Mohan — river in southern Germany
• Esperanto: Majno — river in southern Germany
• French: Main — river in southern Germany
• German: Main — river in southern Germany
• Bavarian German: Moa — river in southern Germany
• East Franconian: Mee — river in southern Germany
• Greek: Μάιν (Máin) — river in southern Germany
• Hindi: माइन (māin) — river in southern Germany
• Hungarian: Majna — river in southern Germany
• Italian: Meno — river in southern Germany
• Japanese: マイン川 — river in southern Germany
• Korean: 마인 강 — river in southern Germany
• Lao: ເມນ (mēn) — river in southern Germany
• Lao: ແມ່ນ້ໍາເມນ (mǣ nam mēn) — river in southern Germany
• Latin: Moenis — river in southern Germany
• Latin: Moenus — river in southern Germany
• Marathi: माइन (māin) — river in southern Germany
• Polish: Men — river in southern Germany
• Portuguese: Meno — river in southern Germany
• Russian: Майн (Majn) — river in southern Germany
• Slovak: Mohan — river in southern Germany
• Lower Sorbian: Mohan — river in southern Germany
• Spanish: Meno — river in southern Germany
• Thai: เมน (meen) — river in southern Germany
• Thai: แม่น้ําเมน — river in southern Germany
• Bulgarian: основна част (osnovna čast) — that which is chief or principal
• Danish: hoved- — that which is chief or principal
• Dutch: hoofd- — that which is chief or principal
• Māori: matua — that which is chief or principal
• Bulgarian: мейн (mejn) — video games: primary character that one plays
• Bulgarian: главна тръба (glavna trǎba) — large pipe or cable
• Danish: hovedledning — large pipe or cable
• Finnish: pääjohto — large pipe or cable
• Finnish: runkojohto — large pipe or cable
• German: Hauptleitung — large pipe or cable
• Khmer: បំពង់ធំ (bɑmpʊəng thom) — large pipe or cable
• Manx: ard-phiob — large pipe or cable
• Bulgarian: основно (osnovno) — ellipsis of main course — see also main course
• Finnish: iso — ellipsis of mainsail
• Swedish: store — ellipsis of mainsail
• Bulgarian: мейнвам (mejnvam) — gaming: to mainly play a specific character or side