Etymograph

English

mainstream

From main + stream.

A compound of main + stream

Middle English mayn

English main

Proto-Indo-European *srew- ‘to flow’

…

Proto-Germanic *straumaz

Proto-West Germanic *straum

Old English strēam

Middle English streem

English stream

Today it means

adj Used or accepted broadly rather than by small portions of population, market, scientific community, etc.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / mainstream