mainline

== English == === Etymology === From main +‎ line. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈmeɪnˌlaɪn/ === Adjective === mainline (not comparable) Normal, principal or standard. Synonym: mainstream (religion, chiefly US Protestantism) Not fundamentalist, charismatic or evangelical. (rail transport) Of or pertaining to the principal route or line of a railway. (rail transport) Of or pertaining to a surface-level heavy rail system as distinct from an underground, elevated or light rail one. (rail transport) Of or pertaining to national or long-distance rail network operators as opposed to urban and suburban operators. (shipping) Pertaining to a direct route between two major ports. Antonym: feeder (chess) Of a sequence of opening moves: being part of a main line ("a standard sequence of opening moves considered to be best play"). ==== Alternative forms ==== main-line ==== Translations ==== === Verb === mainline (third-person singular simple present mainlines, present participle mainlining, simple past and past participle mainlined) (slang) To inject (a drug) directly into a vein. Synonym: main (by extension, informal, transitive) To consume voraciously. (computing, transitive) To integrate (code, etc.) into the main repository for a software project, rather than separate forks. (transitive) To include (a prisoner) in the general population of a prison. ==== Derived terms ==== mainliner mainlining === Noun === mainline (plural mainlines) (aviation) An airline's main operating unit, as opposed to codeshares or regional subsidiaries. (rail transport) The principal route or line of a railway. Coordinate term: trunk line (fishing) In longline fishing the central line to which the branch lines with baits are attached. (plumbing) The pipeline carrying wastewater to the public drains or a septic tank. (slang) A principal vein into which a drug can be injected. (computing) The main repository for a software project, from which different versions (forks) may be split off. (chess) Alternative form of main line. The general population of a prison. Synonym: genpop ==== Alternative forms ==== main line ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === mainline on Wikipedia.Wikipedia main line (railway) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “mainline n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present. “mainline v.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present.