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A river rising in eastern Germany and flowing about 525 km (325 mi) generally westward to the Rhine River at Mainz. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
adj. 1. Most important; principal. See Synonyms at chief. 2. Exerted to the utmost; sheer: "They took her off the sled by main strength" (Jack London). 3. Nautical Connected to or located near the mainmast: a main skysail. 4. Obsolete Of or relating to a continuous area or stretch, as of land or water. n. 1. The chief or largest part: His ideas are, in the main, impractical. 2. The principal pipe or conduit in a system for conveying water, gas, oil, or other utility. 3. Physical strength: fought with might and main. 4. A mainland. 5. The open ocean. 6. Nautical a. A mainsail. b. A mainmast. 7. The main dish of a meal: "Unsurprisingly, the mains and their house-made condiments were the standouts of a recent meal" (Lindsey Tramuta). [Middle English, from Old English mægen, strength; see magh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
