Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Major

Ma′jor

,
[L.
major
, compar. of magnus great: cf. F.
majeur
. Cf.
Master
,
Mayor
,
Magnitude
,
More
,
Adj.
]
1.
Greater in number, quantity, or extent;
as, the
major
part of the assembly; the
major
part of the revenue; the
major
part of the territory.
2.
Of greater dignity; more important.
Shak.
3.
Of full legal age; adult.
[Obs.]
4.
(Mus.)
Greater by a semitone, either in interval or in difference of pitch from another tone.
Major key
(Mus.)
,
a key in which one and two, two and three, four and five, five and six and seven, make major seconds, and three and four, and seven and eight, make minor seconds.
–
Major offense
(Law)
,
an offense of a greater degree which contains a lesser offense, as murder and robbery include assault.
–
Major scale
(Mus.)
,
the natural diatonic scale, which has semitones between the third and fourth, and seventh and fourth, and seventh and eighth degrees; the scale of the major mode, of which the third is major. See
Scale
, and
Diatonic
.
–
Major second
(Mus.)
,
a second between whose tones is a difference in pitch of a step.
–
Major sixth
(Mus.)
,
a sixth of four steps and a half step. In major keys the third and sixth from the key tone are major. Major keys and intervals, as distinguished from minors, are more cheerful.
–
Major third
(Mus.)
,
a third of two steps.

Ma′jor

,
Noun.
[F.
major
. See
Major
,
Adj.
]
1.
(Mil.)
An officer next in rank above a captain and next below a lieutenant colonel; the lowest field officer.
2.
(Law)
A person of full age.
3.
(Logic)
That premise which contains the major term. It its the first proposition of a regular syllogism; as: No unholy person is qualified for happiness in heaven [the major]. Every man in his natural state is unholy [minor]. Therefore, no man in his natural state is qualified for happiness in heaven [conclusion or inference].
☞ In hypothetical syllogisms, the hypothetical premise is called the major.
4.
[LL. See
Major
.]
A mayor.
[Obs.]
Bacon.

Webster 1828 Edition

Major

MA'JOR

,
Adj.
[L.] Greater in number, quantity or extent; as the major part of the assembly; the major part of the revenue; the major part of the territory.
1.
Greater in dignity.
My major vow lies here.
2.
In music, an epithet applied to the modes in which the third is four semitones above the tonic or key-note, and to intervals consisting of four semitones.
Major and minor, in music, are applied to concords which differ from each other by a semitone.
Major tone, the difference between the fifth and fourth, and major semitone is the difference between the major fourth and the third. The major tone surpasses the minor by a comma.

MA'JOR

,
Noun.
In military affairs, an officer next in rank above a captain, and below a lieutenant colonel; the lowest field officer.
1.
The mayor of a town. [See Mayor.]
Aid-major, an officer appointed to act as major on certain occasions.
Brigade-major. [See Brigade.]
Drum-major, the first drummer in a regiment, who has authority over the other drummers.
Fife-major, the first or chief fifer.
Sergeant-major, a non-commissioned officer, subordinate to the adjutant.

MA'JOR

,
Noun.
In law, a person of full age to manage his own concerns.

Definition 2025

Major

Major

See also: major, maior, majór, and majôr

English

Proper noun

Major

  1. A surname​.
  2. An unincorporated community in Kentucky.
  3. A village in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Derived terms

  • Mount Major
  • Lake Major

Noun

Major ‎(uncountable)

  1. (military) An army officer title in most countries

German

Pronunciation

Noun

Major m ‎(genitive Majors, plural Majore)

  1. (military) major

major

major

See also: maior, Major, majór, and majôr

English

Alternative forms

Alternative forms

  • Maj. (abbreviation)

Noun

major ‎(plural majors), or, when used as a title before a person's name, Major

  1. a military rank between captain and lieutenant colonel
    He used to be a major in the army.
    This is Major Jones.
Usage notes

When used as a title, it is always capitalized.

Example: Major Jane Payne.

The rank corresponds to pay grade O-4. Abbreviations: Maj. and MAJ.

Related terms
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English major, from Latin maior, comparative of magnus ‎(“great”), from Proto-Indo-European *maǵ-yes- ‎(“greater”), comparative of *maǵ-, *meǵ- ‎(“great”). Compare West Frisian majoar ‎(“major”), Dutch majoor ‎(“major”).

Adjective

major ‎(comparative more major, superlative most major)

  1. Of great significance or importance.
  2. Greater in number, quantity, or extent.
    the major part of the assembly
  3. Of full legal age; having attained majority.
  4. (music) Of a scale which follows the pattern: tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone - tone - semitone
    a major scale.
  5. (music) Being the larger of two intervals denoted by the same ordinal number.
  6. (music) Containing the note which is a major third (four half steps) above the tonic.
Derived terms
Antonyms
Translations
music: of a scale which follows the pattern: tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone - tone - semitone

Noun

major ‎(plural majors)

  1. (US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) The main area of study of a student working toward a degree at a college or university.
    Midway through his second year of college, he still hadn't chosen a major.
  2. (US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) A student at a college or university concentrating on a given area of study.
    She is a math major.
  3. A person of legal age.
  4. (logic) The major premise.
  5. (Canadian football) An alternate term for touchdown; short for "major score".
  6. A large, commercially successful record label, as opposed to an indie.
    • 1997, Billboard (volume 109, number 30, page 86)
      At the end of last year, the band re-signed to XL for another three albums, despite being chased by majors that included Island, says manager Mike Champion of Midi Management.
  7. (British slang, dated) An elder brother (especially at a public school).
  8. (zoology) A large leaf-cutter ant that acts as a soldier, defending the nest.
Antonyms
  • (a person of legal age): minor
Translations

Verb

major ‎(third-person singular simple present majors, present participle majoring, simple past and past participle majored)

  1. to concentrate on a particular area of study as a student in a college or university
    I have decided to major in mathematics.
Translations

Anagrams

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin maior, maioris.

Pronunciation

  • (Eastern) IPA(key): /məˈʒo/
  • (Valencian) IPA(key): /maˈdʒoɾ/

Adjective

major m, f ‎(masculine and feminine plural majors)

  1. larger (superlative: el major / la major - largest)
  2. older (superlative: el major / la major - oldest)
  3. main, principal
  4. (music) major

Noun

major m ‎(plural majors)

  1. (military rank) major

Noun

major m, f ‎(plural majors)

  1. of age, adult

Czech

Noun

major m

  1. major (military)

Declension

Estonian

Etymology

Borrowing from German Major, from Spanish, from Latin maior.

Noun

major ‎(genitive majori, partitive majorit)

  1. major (rank)

Declension

Derived terms

French

Etymology

French military authorities created in 1972 the rank of major (non-commissioned officer), which can easily be confused with the rank of major (officer) used in many countries, creating problems when communicating with allied forces.

Noun

major m ‎(plural majors)

  1. major, the upper rank of French non-commissioned officers

Hungarian

Etymology

From German.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈmɒjor]
  • Hyphenation: ma‧jor

Noun

major ‎(plural majorok)

  1. farm

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative major majorok
accusative majort majorokat
dative majornak majoroknak
instrumental majorral majorokkal
causal-final majorért majorokért
translative majorrá majorokká
terminative majorig majorokig
essive-formal majorként majorokként
essive-modal — —
inessive majorban majorokban
superessive majoron majorokon
adessive majornál majoroknál
illative majorba majorokba
sublative majorra majorokra
allative majorhoz majorokhoz
elative majorból majorokból
delative majorról majorokról
ablative majortól majoroktól
Possessive forms of major
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. majorom majorjaim
2nd person sing. majorod majorjaid
3rd person sing. majorja majorjai
1st person plural majorunk majorjaink
2nd person plural majorotok majorjaitok
3rd person plural majorjuk majorjaik

Derived terms

  • majoros
  • majorság

Interlingua

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /maˈʒor/

Adjective

major ‎(not comparable)

  1. (comparative degree of grande) bigger

Latin

Adjective

mājor ‎(comparative of māgnus)

  1. Alternative form of māior

Inflection

Third declension, comparative variant

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masc./Fem. Neuter Masc./Fem. Neuter
nominative mājor mājus mājōrēs mājōra
genitive mājōris mājōrum
dative mājōrī mājōribus
accusative mājōrem mājus mājōrēs mājōra
ablative mājōre mājōribus
vocative mājor mājus mājōrēs mājōra

References

Portuguese

Noun

major m (plural majores)

  1. major (military rank)

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From German Major, from Latin māior.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mǎjoːr/
  • Hyphenation: ma‧jor

Noun

màjōr m ‎(Cyrillic spelling ма̀јо̄р)

  1. (military, Serbo-Croatian, Serbo-Croatian) major (rank)

Declension

Synonyms

Swedish

Pronunciation

Noun

major c

  1. a major[1]
  2. a Squadron Leader[1] (in the British Royal Air Force)

Declension

Inflection of major 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative major majoren majorer majorerna
Genitive majors majorens majorers majorernas

References

  1. 1 2 Utrikes namnbok (7th ed., 2007) ISBN 978-913832379-3

Etymology

From French major

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈmeɪ.dʒ.ə(ɹ)/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈmeɪdʒɚ/
  • Rhymes: -eɪdʒə(ɹ)

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