mainly

adverbcommon in dialogue

United Kingdom//ˈmeɪnli//

Of a person or thing being the driving force influencing the outcome of an event; chiefly; certainly for the most part.

adverb

1
Of a person or thing being the driving force influencing the outcome of an event; chiefly; certainly for the most part.
She had Lord James' collar in one big fist and she pounded the table with the other and talked a blue streak. Nobody could make out plain what she said, for she was mainly jabbering Swede lingo, but there was English enough, of a kind, to give us some idee.
If you’re looking for the most breathable mask, Lukovics says, “Cotton is preferable, mainly for absorbing moisture/sweat.” She says multiple layers may be more protective but will also impact breathability.
2
obsoleteForcefully, vigorously.
Such breadth of ſhoulders as might mainely beare Olde Atlas burthen, […]
Mainly they all attonce vpon him laid, / And sore beset on euery side around […]
3
obsoleteOf the production of a sound: loudly, powerfully.
But in the end, mainly crying out, he fell to raling and wringing his master, upbraiding him that he was not a true Philosopher[…].
4
obsoleteTo a great degree; very much.

Etymology

From Middle English maynly; equivalent to main + -ly.

mainframe · A large, powerful computer able to manage very many…mainland · The continent; the principal land, as distinguished from…Mainland · The largest island in the Orkney Islands council area, to the…

mainly · Of a person or thing being the driving force influencing the outcome of an event; chiefly; certainly for the most part.

mainstream · Used or accepted broadly rather than by small portions of…maintain · To keep up; to preserve; to uphold (a state, condition etc.).maintained · showing maintenance or attention

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.