main file
1
3.9
- noun
- Specialized
:
archivo principal
- Before making any changes, make sure to back up the main file, as it contains critical information.
Examples
-
Try to identify the main pages that most of your users visit; the files needed there should go in the main file.
Blog text (34) -
(c) GL system databases generally contain two main files: one for account information, the other for current journal entries.
Academic text (1992) -
One is to place a small snippet of code in your template's main file and then reference a modal class in your hyperlinks.
Blog text (29) -
The project manager referred to the main file to ensure all team members were on the same page.
-
All the updates to the software were documented in the main file, which serves as the primary reference.
Synonyms
1
4.2
The main computer record that holds original data for reference
How Primary
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'primary/authoritative file' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'main' (chief, primary) with 'file' (a collection of documents). This adjective + noun composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the intended sense.
Etymology
Main file comes from old offices where one folder held the most important papers, with main meaning 'most important' and file meaning a folder of documents. That's why on a computer a main file is the single 'primary' record you trust for a job.