The difference between Main and Prime

Main as an adjective:

Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.

Main as an adjective:

Chief, most important, or principal in extent, size, or strength; consisting of the largest part.

Main as an adjective:

Of force, strength, etc.: full, sheer, undivided.

Main as an adjective (dialectal):

Big; angry.

Main as an adjective (nautical):

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

Main as an adjective (obsolete):

Great in size or degree; important, powerful, strong, vast.

Main as an adverb (Britain, dialectal):

Exceedingly, extremely, greatly, mightily, very, very much.

Main as a verb (transitive):

Main as a verb (transitive, gaming):

To mainly play a specific character, or side, during a game.

Main as a verb (obsolete):

Of a road: to convert into a main or primary road.

Main as a noun (video gaming):

That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the bulk, the greater part, gross. The primary character that one plays in a video game in which one can play more than one character.

Main as a noun:

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

Main as a noun (informal):

Main as a noun (now, poetic):

The high seas.

Main as a noun (now, archaic, US, _, dialectal):

The mainland.

Main as a noun (nautical):

Main as a noun (obsolete, except in [[might and main]]):

Force, power, strength, violent effort.

Main as a noun (obsolete, gaming):

A hand or match in a game of dice.

Main as a noun (obsolete, gaming):

The largest throw in a match at dice; in the game of hazard, a number from one to nine called out by a person before the dice are thrown.

Main as a noun (obsolete, gaming):

A stake played for at dice.

Main as a noun (obsolete, gaming, sports):

A sporting contest or match, especially a cockfighting match.

Main as a noun:

A banker's shovel for coins.

Main as a noun (obsolete, rare):

A basket for gathering grapes.

Prime as an adjective:

First in importance, degree, or rank.

Prime as an adjective:

First in time, order, or sequence.

Prime as an adjective:

First in excellence, quality, or value.

Prime as an adjective (mathematics, lay):

Having exactly two integral factors: itself and unity (1 in the case of integers).

Prime as an adjective (mathematics, technical):

Such that if it divides a product, it divides one of the multiplicands.

Prime as an adjective (mathematics):

Having its complement closed under multiplication: said only of ideals.

Prime as an adjective:

Marked or distinguished by the prime symbol.

Prime as an adjective:

Early; blooming; being in the first stage.

Prime as an adjective (obsolete):

Lecherous; lustful; lewd.

Prime as a noun (historical):

The first hour of daylight; the first canonical hour.

Prime as a noun (Christianity):

The religious service appointed to this hour.

Prime as a noun (obsolete):

The early morning generally.

Prime as a noun (now, _, rare):

The earliest stage of something.

Prime as a noun:

The most active, thriving, or successful stage or period.

Prime as a noun:

The chief or best individual or part.

Prime as a noun (music):

The first note or tone of a musical scale.

Prime as a noun (fencing):

The first defensive position, with the sword hand held at head height, and the tip of the sword at head height.

Prime as a noun (algebra, number theory):

A prime element of a mathematical structure, particularly a prime number.

Prime as a noun (card games):

A four-card hand containing one card of each suit in the game of primero; the opposite of a flush in poker.

Prime as a noun (backgammon):

Six consecutive blocks, which prevent the opponent's pieces from passing.

Prime as a noun:

The symbol ′ used to indicate feet, minutes, derivation and other measures and mathematical operations.

Prime as a noun (chemistry, obsolete):

Any number expressing the combining weight or equivalent of any particular element; so called because these numbers were respectively reduced to their lowest relative terms on the fixed standard of hydrogen as 1.

Prime as a noun:

An inch, as composed of twelve seconds in the duodecimal system.

Prime as a noun (obsolete):

The priming in a flintlock.

Prime as a noun (film):

Contraction of prime lens, a film lens

Prime as a verb (transitive):

To prepare a mechanism for its main work.

Prime as a verb (transitive):

To apply a coat of primer paint to.

Prime as a verb (obsolete, intransitive):

To be renewed.

Prime as a verb (intransitive):

To serve as priming for the charge of a gun.

Prime as a verb (intransitive, of a steam boiler):

To work so that foaming occurs from too violent ebullition, which causes water to become mixed with, and be carried along with, the steam that is formed.

Prime as a verb:

To apply priming to (a musket or cannon); to apply a primer to (a metallic cartridge).

Prime as a verb:

To prepare; to make ready; to instruct beforehand; to coach.

Prime as a verb (UK, dialect, obsolete):

To trim or prune.

Prime as a verb (math):

To mark with a prime mark.

Prime as a noun (cycling):

An intermediate sprint within a race, usually offering a prize and/or points.