main course

noun

1. Nautical. a square mainsail.
2. the principal dish or course of a meal, typically including meat or fish.

main course

noun

1. the principal dish of a meal
2. nautical a square mainsail

Word History and Origins

Origin of main course¹

First recorded in 1505–15

Example Sentences

Housewives might have saved their flour to make sweets, which tend to be eaten in smaller quantities than the main course.

From Washington Post

For the main course, I ordered a chicken patty melt with fries, and then I added two cobblers — naturally — to bring to my sons at home.

From Washington Post

This recipe has such a garden-to-plate vibe, I think of it as the soup version of a salad and I serve it that way, alongside a sandwich or omelet, or before a main course.

From Washington Post

The main course for meme makers came smack dab in the middle of his divisive performance.

From Washington Post

Dried sumac speckled a plate of shaved radishes and fennel, and the main course was lamb ragout, ladled over satiny eggplant puree.

From Washington Post

If the Secretary of State has to spend all this time on the appetizers, what happens when you have to confront the main course?

From The Daily Beast

When the waiters appeared at Penny's shoulder with the main course on a platter, the prince was mid-anecdote.

From The Daily Beast

A senior regime official warned several days ago: “What you are seeing is the appetizer: the main course is yet to come.”

From The Daily Beast

The sorbet was tangy and was a tad tart while in the main course the pepper in the yam croquette brought it to life.

From The Daily Beast

The main course was the most efficient of comfort foods: chicken pot pie.

From The Daily Beast

The heavy arrows indicate the main course the reversible actions take, under the influence of the reagents used.

From Project Gutenberg

Have a hot dish in winter for a main course, and something nice and cold in its place in summer.

From Project Gutenberg

Her main course of study was directed towards the attainment of the best European languages.

From Project Gutenberg

The personal tastes of the guests must be taken into consideration in deciding upon the main course.

From Project Gutenberg

The jib and flying jib were also taken in, and a little later the main-course and the mizzen-course.

From Project Gutenberg