mainstream

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmeɪn.stɹiːm/ (UK); /ˈmeɪn.stɹim/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is from English main + stream.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The principal current of a river: about 1585 in MWU, the 1660s in Etymonline.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, the prevailing direction of opinion or taste, is first attested in Carlyle (1831).^[2] The adjective, belonging to the mainstream, is from 1943 in MWU.^[3] The verb, to place a child with a disability in ordinary school classes, is from 1974, and generally to bring into the mainstream from 1982.^[4][3] Mainstream media is attested by 1980, at first in the language of American critics on the left.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1585 – the main current of a river.^[3]
• 1831 – the prevailing trend, in Carlyle.^[2]
• 1943 – the adjective.^[3]
• 1974 – the verb, in education.^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The ideas, attitudes or activities shared by most people; the prevailing current of thought.
2. The main current of a river.

Adjective

1. Belonging to or representing the mainstream; conventional.

Verb

1. To place a pupil with special needs in ordinary school classes.
2. To bring into the mainstream.

Word family

• mainstreamer
• mainstreaming

Related words

• main
• stream

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press