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main2 (dial.) of great size XIII; strong, mighty (surviving only in sense ‘sheer’ in phr. by m. force); (dial.) great in number or degree XIV; chief in size, extent, or order XV. Partly repr. OE. mæġen MAIN1 in comps., as mæġenfolc great company of people, mæġenstrengo great strength; partly — rel. ON. megenn, megn strong, powerful, or megin (in combination). There are many special collocations: e.g. m. chance XVI, mainland XIV, † m. sea XVI, m. drain XVIII; from these, by ellipsis. arose sb. uses of main; e.g. (1) prob. from the m. chance, a throw in the game of hazard, the most important part, etc. (now chiefly in phr. in the m.) XVI; (2) from the m. sea, the high sea XVI; (3) from m. drain, chief sewer XVIII.
Hence mainly † vigorously XIII; † greatly XIV; for the most part XVII.

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