major
pronunciation
How to pronounce major in British English:
UK [ˈmeɪdʒə(r)]
How to pronounce major in American English:
US [ˈmeɪdʒər]
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- Noun:
- a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines; below lieutenant colonel and above captain
- a university student who is studying a particular field as the principal subject
- the principal field of study of a student at a university
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- Verb:
- have as one's principal field of study
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- Adjective:
- of greater importance or stature or rank
- greater in scope or effect
- greater in number or size or amount
- of the field of academic study in which one concentrates or specializes
- of a scale or mode
- of greater seriousness or danger
- of full legal age
- of the elder of two boys with the same family name
Word Origin
- major
- major: [16] Latin mājor ‘larger’ was the comparative form of magnus ‘large’, from which English gets magnitude, magnum etc (in early Latin it was *māgjōs). English originally acquired it as an adjective. Its noun use, for an army officer, followed in the 17th century. This represented a borrowing from French major, which was short for sergeant-major (in those days, ‘sergeant major’ was a more elevated rank than it is today). The derivative majority [16] comes via French majorité from medieval Latin mājōritās. Mayor comes from Latin mājor, routed via Old French.=> magnitude, magnum, mayor
- major (adj.)
- c. 1300, from Latin maior (earlier *magjos), irregular comparative of magnus "large, great" (see magnate). Used in music (of modes, scales, or chords) since 1690s, on notion of an interval a half-tone greater than the minor.
- major (n.)
- military rank, 1640s, from French major, short for sergent-major, originally a higher rank than at present, from Medieval Latin major "chief officer, magnate, superior person," from Latin maior "an elder, adult," noun use of the adjective (see major (adj.)). The musical sense attested by 1797.
- major (v.)
- "focus (one's) studies," 1910, American English, from major (n.) in sense of "subject of specialization" (1890). Related: Majored; majoring. Earlier as a verb, in Scottish, "to prance about, or walk backwards and forwards with a military air and step" [Jamieson, 1825].
Antonym
Example
- 1. It is clear that the brazilian government needs major reform .
- 2. But the major complication has been infrastructure .
- 3. Blackrock and vanguard are major shareholders .
- 4. Selfies , like facebook and twitter , are a major social media phenomenon .
- 5. And I made my first major mistake .