The difference between Main and Principal

When used as nouns, main means that which is chief or principal, whereas principal means the money originally invested or loaned, on which basis interest and returns are calculated.

When used as adjectives, main means of chief or leading importance, whereas principal means primary.

Main is also adverb with the meaning: exceedingly, extremely, greatly, mightily, very, very much.

check bellow for the other definitions of Main and Principal

  1. Main as an adjective:

    Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.

  2. Main as an adjective:

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

    Examples:

    "synonyms largest"

    "'main timbers  main branch of a river  main body of an army"

  3. Main as an adjective:

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

  4. Main as an adjective (dialectal):

    Big; angry.

  5. Main as an adjective (nautical):

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

  6. Main as an adjective (obsolete):

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

  1. Main as an adverb (Britain, dialectal):

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

  1. Main as a verb (transitive):

  2. Main as a verb (transitive, gaming):

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

    Examples:

    "He mains the same character as me in that game."

    "What race do you main and what is your favourite race to beat?"

  3. Main as a verb (obsolete):

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

  1. 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.

    Examples:

    "antonyms alt"

    "My [[w:WoW WoW]] main has reached level cap and I’m on my way getting my first alt there as well."

  2. 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.

  3. Main as a noun (informal):

    Examples:

    "I had scampi and chips for my main and a slice of cheesecake for dessert."

  4. Main as a noun (now, poetic):

    The high seas.

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

    The mainland.

  6. Main as a noun (nautical):

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

    Force, power, strength, violent effort.

  1. Main as a noun (obsolete, gaming):

    A hand or match in a game of dice.

  2. 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.

  3. Main as a noun (obsolete, gaming):

    A stake played for at dice.

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

    A sporting contest or match, especially a cockfighting match.

  5. Main as a noun:

    A banker's shovel for coins.

  1. Main as a noun (obsolete, rare):

    A basket for gathering grapes.

  1. Principal as an adjective:

    Primary; most important.

    Examples:

    "Smith is the principal architect of this design."

    "The principal cause of the failure was poor planning."

  2. Principal as an adjective (obsolete, Latinism):

    Of or relating to a prince; princely.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Edmund Spenser"

  1. Principal as a noun (finance, uncountable):

    The money originally invested or loaned, on which basis interest and returns are calculated.

    Examples:

    "A portion of your mortgage payment goes to reduce the principal, and the rest covers interest."

  2. Principal as a noun (North America, Australia, New Zealand):

    The chief administrator of a school.

  3. Principal as a noun (UK, Canada):

    The chief executive and chief academic officer of a university or college.

  4. Principal as a noun (legal):

    A legal person that authorizes another (the agent) to act on one′s behalf; or on whose behalf an agent or gestor in a negotiorum gestio acts.

    Examples:

    "When an attorney represents a client, the client is the principal who permits the attorney, the client′s agent, to act on the client′s behalf."

    "My principal sells metal shims."

  5. Principal as a noun (legal):

    The primary participant in a crime.

  6. Principal as a noun (North America):

    A partner or owner of a business.

  7. Principal as a noun (music):

    A diapason, a type of organ stop on a pipe organ.

  8. Principal as a noun (architecture, engineering):

    The construction that gives shape and strength to a roof, generally a truss of timber or iron; or, loosely, the most important member of a piece of framing.

  9. Principal as a noun:

    The first two long feathers of a hawk's wing.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Spenser"

    "rfquotek J. H. Walsh"

  10. Principal as a noun:

    One of the turrets or pinnacles of waxwork and tapers with which the posts and centre of a funeral hearse were formerly crowned.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Oxf. Gloss."

  11. Principal as a noun (obsolete):

    An essential point or rule; a principle.

  12. Principal as a noun:

    A dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company.

  13. Principal as a noun (computing):

    A security principal.

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