I. ˈmī-nər adjective
Etymology: Latin, smaller, inferior; akin to Old High German minniro smaller, Latin minuere to lessen
Date: 1526
1. : inferior in importance, size, or degree : comparatively unimportant
2. : not having reached majority
3.
a. : having half steps between the second and third, the fifth and sixth, and sometimes the seventh and eighth degrees
minor scale
b. : based on a minor scale
minor key
c. : less by a semitone than the corresponding major interval
minor third
d. : having a minor third above the root
minor triad
4. : not serious or involving risk to life
minor illness
5. : of or relating to an academic subject requiring fewer courses than a major
II. noun
Date: 1612
1. : a person who has not attained majority
2. : a minor musical interval, scale, key, or mode
3.
a. : a minor academic subject
b. : a student taking a specified minor
4. : a determinant or matrix obtained from a given determinant or matrix by eliminating the row and column in which a given element lies
5. plural : minor league baseball — used with the
III. intransitive verb
Date: 1926
: to take courses in a minor subject