English citations of main

  1. probably errors for maintain
    • 1874, Official Report of the Proceedings and Debates of the Third Constitutional Convention of Ohio, volume 2, W. S. Robison & Company:
      The undersigned, citizens of Ohio, desirous of maining the impartiality of our government toward all its citizens, do earnestly protest against such amendments to the Constitution as are asked for []
    • 1975, Jean Pictet, Humanitarian Law and the Protection of War Victims:
      Camp life is so organized as to main the physical and moral well-being of prisoners, who shall be quartered under conditions as favourable as those prevailing for the forces of the Detaining Power.
    • 2002, Sam Lingayah, The writings of a radical social worker:
      Maining the aims and objectives of the organisation in a difficult situation like this poses great challenge to the management and makes managing a voluntary agency problematical.
    • 2009, Heinz-Peter Nasheuer, Genome Stability and Human Diseases, page 142:
      mtSSBs are related to prokaryotic SSBs and essential to main the genome stability in eukaryotic mitochondria.
    • 2014, Republic of Uzbekistan: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, International Monetary International Monetary Fund, page 50:
      Subsidies for basic foodstuff and services were retained and there was an attempt to main the previous levels of expenditure on health and education.

Etymology 2 edit

Noun edit

  1. (now poetic) The high seas.
    • c. 1744, Thomas Broughton (libretto), George Frideric Handel (music), “Hercules: An Oratorio”, in The Miscellaneous Pieces, as Set to Music, of Geo. Fred. Handel. [], part II, London: Printed for T. Heptinstall, [], published 1799, →OCLC, part the second [Act II, scene iv], page 53:
      Wanton god of am'rous fires, / Wishes, sighs and soft desires, / All nature's sons thy laws maintain; / O'er liquid air, firm land, and swelling main, / Extend thy uncontroul'd and boundless reign.