Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

main

/meɪn/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.24 in modern English

Syllables
main
IPA
/meɪn/
6
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Full, sheer, undivided.

Archaic

adj

Big; angry.

adj

Belonging to or connected with the principal mast in a vessel.

adj

Great in size or degree; important, powerful, strong, vast.

Obsolete

adv

Exceedingly, extremely, greatly, mightily, very, very much.

British usage

verb

Ellipsis of mainline (“to inject (a drug) directly into a vein”).

Slang; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *megʰ-, mayn, mæġen, megn, *maginą, main

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /meɪn/
  • British English: /meɪn/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Food.

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Homonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce main?
The recorded pronunciation is /meɪn/.
What does main mean?
Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.
Where does main come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce main

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “main”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/meɪn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “main”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “main” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.