Big vs Main - What's the difference?

Big is a synonym of main.

As nouns the difference between big and main

is that big is a biological insulation garment; an air-tight, full-body suit intended to prevent the spread of contaminants while main is .

big

English

Etymology 1

From a northern (etyl) dialectal term (m), .

Adjective

(bigger)

Of great size, large.

*:The big houses, and there are a good many of them, lie for the most part in what may be called by courtesy the valleys. You catch a glimpse of them sometimes at a little distance from the [railway] line,, with their court of farm and church and clustered village, in dignified seclusion.

*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-06, volume=408, issue=8843, page=68, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= The rise of smart beta , passage=Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.}}

(lb) Thought to have undue influence.

Popular.

(lb) Adult.

*1931 , , Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer , Montgomery Ward (publisher), draft:

*:By midnight, however, the last light had fled / For even big people have then gone to bed[.]

(lb) Fat.

(lb) Important or significant.

*:"I was dragged up at the workhouse school till I was twelve. Then I ran away and sold papers in the streets, and anything else that I could pick up a few coppers by—except steal. I never did that. I always made up my mind I'd be a big man some day, and—I'm glad I didn't steal."

*{{quote-news, year=2011, date=October 29, author=Neil Johnston, work=BBC Sport

, title= Norwich 3-3 Blackburn , passage=It proved a big miss as Hoilett produced a sublime finish into the top corner of the net from 20 yards after evading a couple of challenges in first-half stoppage time.}}

Enthusiastic (about).

(lb) Mature, conscientious, principled.

(lb) Well-endowed, possessing large breasts in the case of a woman or a large penis in the case of a man.

Large with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce.

*(and other bibliographic details) (Joseph Addison) (1672–1719)

*:[Day] big with the fate of Cato and of Rome.

(lb)

Synonyms

* (of a great size) ample, huge, large, sizeable, stoor, jumbo, massive * (adult) adult, fully grown, grown up * See also

Antonyms

* (of a great size) little, small, tiny, minuscule, miniature, minute * (adult) little, young

Derived terms

* Big Apple * big-ass * big baby * big band * Big Bang * big bath * big beat * Big Ben * Big Bertha * big blind * big bluestem * Big Board * big-boned * big box * big boy/big boys * big break * big brother * Big Brother * big bucks * big business * big C * big cat * big cheese * Big Crunch * Big D * big daddy * big deal * Big Dipper * Big Easy * big enchilada * big end * big fat/big-fat/big phat * big figure * big fish * big fly * Big Four * big game * biggie, no biggie * big girl's blouse * big government * big gun * big H/Big H * big hair * big hand * big head/big-head * big-headed * big-hearted * big house * big idea * big if * big iron * Big Island * big kid * big labor * big-league * big lick * big lie * big lug * big kahuna * Big Mac * big money * big mouth * Big Muddy * big name / big-name * bigness * big O * big O notation * big old/big ole * big one/the big one * big pharma * big picture * Big Q * big rig * Big Rip * big science * big screen * big shagbank * big shot * big shoulder * big six/the big six * Big Six * big sleep * big slick * Big Smoke * big spender * big spring * big stick * Big Sur * big talk * big tent * Big Three * big-ticket * big time/big-time/bigtime * big toe * big top/big-top * big tree * Big Uglies * big up * big wheel * big whoop * big wig/big-wig/bigwig * big-wigged * big wow * great big * hit it big * make it big * /Mr Big/Mister Big * the bigs * too big for one's boots * too big to fail

Adverb

(bigger)

In a loud manner.

In a boasting manner.

He's always talking big , but he never delivers.

In a large amount or to a large extent.

He won big betting on the croquet championship.

On a large scale, expansively

You've got to think big to succeed at Amalgamated Plumbing.

Hard.

He hit him big and the guy just crumpled.

Noun

(en noun)

An important or powerful person; a celebrity; a big name.

(as plural) The big leagues, big time.

Synonyms

* (big leagues) major leagues

Verb

(up)

To praise or recommend

Etymology 2

From (etyl) (m), (m), from (etyl) (m), . Cognate with (etyl) (m), (etyl) (m).

Verb

to inhabit; occupy

to locate one's self

to build; erect; fashion

to dwell; have a dwelling

Etymology 3

From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) .

Alternative forms

* (l) * (l), (l) (obsolete)

Noun

(-)

One or more kinds of barley, especially (six-rowed barley).

Statistics

Anagrams

* 100 English basic words 200 English basic words 1000 English basic words ----

main

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), (m), (m), partly from (etyl) . More at (may).

Adjective

(-)

(label) Great in size or degree; vast; strong; powerful; important.

* (Samuel Daniel) (1562-1619)

Principal; prime; chief; leading; of chief or principal importance.

* (John Tillotson) (1630-1694)

* , chapter=7

, title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=With some of it on the south and more of it on the north of the great main thoroughfare that connects Aldgate and the East India Docks, St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London.}}

*{{quote-book, year=1935, author= George Goodchild

, title=Death on the Centre Court, chapter=5 , passage=By one o'clock the place was choc-a-bloc. […] The restaurant was packed, and the promenade between the two main courts and the subsidiary courts was thronged with healthy-looking youngish people, drawn to the Mecca of tennis from all parts of the country.}}

Principal or chief in size or extent; largest; consisting of the largest part; most important by reason or size or strength.

* (John Milton) (1608-1674)

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-03, volume=408, issue=8847, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Yesterday’s fuel , passage=The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania.

Full; undivided; sheer (of strength, force etc.).

* 1817 , (Walter Scott), , XII:

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

(label) Big; angry.

Derived terms

* main drag * main road

Adverb

(en adverb)

Very; very much; greatly; mightily; extremely; exceedingly.

* 1799 , Samuel Foote, The works of Samuel Foote :

* 1840 , Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Leigh Hunt, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The dramatic works of Richard Brinsley Sheridan :

Etymology 2

From (etyl) , later also taking senses from the adjective.

Noun

(en noun)

* Spenser

That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the gross; the bulk; the greater part.

* Francis Bacon

* 1858 , Humphrey Prideaux, James Talboys Wheeler, An historical connection of the Old and New Testaments :

* Francis Bacon

* 1624 , John Smith, Generall Historie , in Kupperman 1988, page 90:

* 1624 , John Donne, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, and severall steps in my Sicknes (Meditation XVII):

* 1851 , Herman Melville, Moby-Dick :

* Dryden

A large pipe or cable providing utility service to a building or area, such as water main or electric main.

(label) The mainsail.

Quotations

* (English Citations of "main")

Derived terms

{{der3, (large pipe or cable) gas main, mains (qualifier), water main , in the main , main brace , main drag , maincrop , mainframe , mainland , mainline, main line , mainmast , mainplane , mainsail , mainsheet , mainspring , mainstreet, main street , maintop , maintopmast}}

Etymology 3

; compare (manual).

Noun

(en noun)

A hand or match in a game of dice.

(Prior)

(Thackeray)

A stake played for at dice.

* Shakespeare, The First Park of King Henry IV

The largest throw in a match at dice; a throw at dice within given limits, as in the game of hazard.

A match at cockfighting.

* Thackeray

A main-hamper, or fruit basket.

(Ainsworth)

Statistics

Anagrams

External links

* 1000 English basic words ----