What does "amain" mean?
To lower (the sail of a ship, particularly the topsail).
Amain
/əˈmeɪn/ adv, verb
adv, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To lower (the sail of a ship, particularly the topsail).
- Grammar: amain is listed as adv, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: apace, at once, double quick, expeditiously.
- Useful contrasts: feebleness, gently, inertia.
- Usage evidence: Triton, Cymothoe from the rock's sharp brow / push off the vessels. Neptune plies amain / his trident-lever, lays the sandbanks low, / on light wheels shaves the deep, and calms the billowy flow.
How to use "amain"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "amain" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "amain" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "amain" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "amain" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "amain" is acting as adv, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "apace" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "amain", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To lower (the sail of a ship, particularly the topsail). obsolete, transitive
- 2 To decrease or reduce (something). figuratively, obsolete, transitive
- 3 To lower the topsail in token of surrender; to yield. intransitive, obsolete
Adverb
- 1 With all of one's might; mightily; forcefully, violently. archaic, literary
"And in beholding how he [the cyclops Polyphemus] fed and belked vp againe His bloody vittels at his mouth, and vttred out amayne The clottred gobbets mixt with wyne, I [Odysseus] thus ſurmyſde: like lot Hangs ouer my head now, and I muſt alſo go to pot."
- 2 At full speed; also, in great haste. archaic
"At length the Danes beeing aſſayled on eche ſide, both a front before, and on their backes behinde, oppreſſed as it were wyth multitude, they threwe downe theyr weapons and fled amain."
- 3 Out of control. British, dialectal
"The waggonway lay near the Windmill Hills and went down the north side of the hills to the Rivir Tine, and at the Coal steath [= staithe] Mathew Gray lived. I was about hauf way down the bank when thur was two Waggons Coming after me Amain [= broken loose and running away]."
- 4 Exceedingly; overmuch. obsolete
"Riches are mine, Fortune is in my hand; They whom I favour thrive in wealth amain, While Virtue, Valour, Wiſdom ſit in want."
Adverb
- 1 with all your strength wordnet
- 2 at full speed; with great haste wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Triton, Cymothoe from the rock's sharp brow / push off the vessels. Neptune plies amain / his trident-lever, lays the sandbanks low, / on light wheels shaves the deep, and calms the billowy flow."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "amain"?
Common synonyms include: apace, at once, double quick, expeditiously, fast, force.
How do you use "amain" in a sentence?
Triton, Cymothoe from the rock's sharp brow / push off the vessels. Neptune plies amain / his trident-lever, lays the sandbanks low, / on light wheels shaves the deep, and calms the billowy flow.
How do you pronounce "amain"?
Pronounced /əˈmeɪn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From a- (prefix with the sense ‘at; in; on; with’, used to show a state, condition, or manner) + main (“force, power, strength”). Main is derived from Middle English mayn (“strength”), from Old English mæġen (“strength”), from Proto-Germanic *maginą (“might, power, strength”), *maginaz (“strong”), from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- (“to be able”).
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Spanish amainar (“to reef a sail (take in part of a sail to adapt its size to the force of the wind); to abate, die down, subside; to ease off, let up; of a person: to calm down, control one’s anger”); further etymology uncertain, probably from a regional Italian (Naples) word (compare Italian ammainare (“to lower or reef (a flag, sail, etc.)”)), from Vulgar Latin *invagīnare (“to sheathe (a sword); to put away, stow”), from Latin in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’) + vāgīna (“scabbard, sheath; covering, holder; vagina”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weh₂ǵ- (“to cover; sheath”)); this would make it a doublet of invaginate.