| main | (noun) a principal pipe in a system that distributes water or gas or electricity or that collects sewage | - |
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| (noun) any very large body of (salt) water | Synonyms: briny |
| mainframe | (noun) (computer science) the part of a computer (a microprocessor chip) that does most of the data processing | Synonyms: C.P.U., central processing unit, central processor, CPU, processor |
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| (noun) a large digital computer serving 100-400 users and occupying a special air-conditioned room | Synonyms: mainframe computer |
| mainland | (noun) the main land mass of a country or continent; as distinguished from an island or peninsula | - |
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| mainmast | (noun) the chief mast of a sailing vessel with two or more masts | - |
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| mainsail | (noun) the lowermost sail on the mainmast | - |
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| mainsheet | (noun) (nautical) a line (rope or chain) that regulates the angle at which a sail is set in relation to the wind | Synonyms: sheet, shroud, tack, weather sheet |
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| mainspring | (noun) the most important spring in a mechanical device (especially a clock or watch); as it uncoils it drives the mechanism | - |
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| mainstay | (noun) the forestay that braces the mainmast | - |
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| (noun) a central cohesive source of support and stability | Synonyms: anchor, backbone, keystone, linchpin, lynchpin |
| (noun) a prominent supporter | Synonyms: pillar |
| mainstream | (noun) the prevailing current of thought | - |
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| maintainer | (noun) someone who upholds or maintains | Synonyms: sustainer, upholder |
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| maintenance | (noun) activity involved in maintaining something in good working order | Synonyms: care, upkeep |
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| (noun) the act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of subsistence | Synonyms: sustainment, sustenance, sustentation, upkeep |
| (noun) the unauthorized interference in a legal action by a person having no interest in it (as by helping one party with money or otherwise to continue the action) so as to obstruct justice or promote unnecessary litigation or unsettle the peace of the community | Synonyms: criminal maintenance |
| (noun) means of maintenance of a family or group | - |
| (noun) court-ordered support paid by one spouse to another after they are separated | Synonyms: alimony |