Main, adj. 1) great, first in importance, principal, chief: “the m. flood,” Merch. IV, 1, 72 (the sea). “the man that the m. harvest reaps,” As III, 5, 103. “he might in a m. danger fail you,” All's III, 6, 17. “the m. consents are had,” V, 3, 69. “these m. parcels of dispatch,” IV, 3, 104. “our m. battle's front,” H6C I, 1, 8; R3 V, 3, 299. “m. end,” H8 II, 2, 41. III, 2, 215. Cor. II, 2, 43. IV, 3, 20. Mcb. IV, 3, 198. V, 4, 10. Hml. I, 1, 105. Lr. IV, 6, 217. Oth. I, 3, 11. II, 1, 269. Ant. I, 2, 198 “(the m. soldier).” Cymb. V, 4, 16. Per. V, 1, 29.
2) concerning the gross or whole; general: “a man may prophesy of the m. chance of things,” H4B III, 1, 83. “we do not mean the coursing snatchers only, but fear the m. intendment of the Scot,” H5 I, 2, 144. “m. chance, father you meant,” H6B I, 1, 212. “put your m. cause into the king's protection,” H8 III, 1, 93. “by the m. assent of all these learned men she was divorced,” H8 IV, 1, 31. “if he were foiled, we did our m. opinion crush in taint of our best man,” Troil. I, 3, 373. “quite from the m. opinion he held once,” Caes. II, 1, 196. “no farther than the m. voice of Denmark goes withal,” Hml. I, 3, 28.
3) superior, overruling: “which by m. force Warwick did win,” H6B I, 1, 210. “by commission and m. power,” H8 II, 2, 7.
Shakespeare Lexicon. Alexander Schmidt. Berlin. Georg Reimer. 1902.
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