Main, subst. 1) with of; full might, the whole, the gross of a thing: “nativity, once in the m. of light, crawls to maturity,” Sonn. 60, 5. “empties itself, as doth an inland brook, into the main of waters,” Merch. V, 97. “to-morrow we must with all our m. of power stand fast,” Troil. II, 3, 273. “goes it against the m. of Poland, or for some frontier?” Hml. IV, 4, 15.
2) absol. a) the principal point, that which is first in question: “let's make haste away, and look unto the m.” H6B I, 1, 208. “I doubt it is no other than the m., his father's death and our o'erhasty marriage,” Hml. II, 2, 56.
b) the ocean, the great sea: Sonn. 64, 7. 80, 8. John II, 26. R3 I, 4, 20. Oth. II, 1, 3. Oth. II, 1, 3
c) the continent: “swell the curled waters 'bove the m.” Lr. III, 1, 6.
d) (probably from the French main) a stake at gaming: “to set so rich a m. on the nice hazard of one doubtful hour,” H4A IV, 1, 47.
Shakespeare Lexicon. Alexander Schmidt. Berlin. Georg Reimer. 1902.
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