expression, pre-noun adjectival
main; principal; chief; leading; important
Formal or literary pre-noun adjectival used to describe the most important or central thing in a group. Often seen in set phrases like 主なる原因 (main cause) or 主なる目的 (main purpose).
The main cause is a lack of funds.
The principal purpose is information exchange.
Standard kanji spelling for this pre-noun adjectival.
Rarely used kanji form; easily confused with 重なる (かさなる, to pile up).
Derived from the adjective おも (main, important) + なる (archaic attributive form of なり, 'to be'). The form おもなる is a fossilized pre-noun adjectival.