Etymograph

English

mainly

Mainly comes from Middle English maynly ‘bravely, mightily’, from mayn ‘strong, main’ + -ly.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mayn1
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500maynly2‘bravely’
  3. Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588mainly2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Middle English maynly
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English mainly
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “Such breadth of ſhoulders as might mainely beare Olde…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500maynWiktionary, Middle English maynly
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500maynlyWiktionary, English mainly‘bravely’
  3. Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588mainlyWiktionary, English mainly. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “Such breadth of ſhoulders as might mainely beare Olde…”

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Today it means

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

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mainly”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Middle English maynly. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English mayn / mainly