- pronunciation:
- meIn
- features:
- Homophone Note, Word History
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition: |
a state in the northeastern United States on the Atlantic Coast. Its capital is Augusta. (abbreviated: ME)
|
| derivation: |
Mainer (n.) |
The words
Maine,
main, and
mane sound alike but have different meanings.
Maine may have its name because English settlers living on the Atlantic coast and on islands in the Atlantic Ocean referred to the mainland as "The Maine." Or, they may have named it after "Maine," a province in France owned by the Queen of England.