I. ˈmājə(r) adjective
Etymology: Middle English majour, from Latin major larger, greater, compar. of magnus large, great — more at much
1. : greater in dignity, rank, importance, or interest : superior
regarded him as one of the major poets of his generation — Douglas Cleverdon
the minor and major arts are flourishing — Saturday Review
2. : greater in number, quantity, or extent : larger
output of salt showed marked increases by all of the major … producing countries — Americana Annual
the major part of this work was undertaken by him — H.W.H.Knott
3. : of full legal age
major children
4. : notable or conspicuous in effect or scope : considerable , principal — compare negligible
on a major military offensive — Collier's Year Book
so that no single country produced any of the major weapons exclusively in its own territory — Denis Healey
5. : involving grave risk : serious
a major illness
a major operative procedure
6.
a. : of or relating to a subject of academic study chosen as a field of specialization
b. : of or relating to a secondary-school course requiring a maximum of classroom hours
7.
a. of a scale : having half steps between the third and fourth and the seventh and eighth degrees
b. of a key : based (as in its harmonic relations) on such a scale — opposed to minor ; used after the name of a keynote
sonata in C major
the F- major symphony
c. of an interval
(1) : greater by a half step than minor : of a size equal to the distance between the keynote and a (specified) degree of the major scale — used of the second, third, sixth, and seventh; compare perfect
(2) : greater by a comma — used of one whole step in an untempered scale compared with another
C-D is a major step, greater than the minor step D-E
— compare temperament
d. of a mode in mensurable music : having the large divided into longs
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Medieval Latin, from Latin, adjective
1. archaic : major premise
2. : a person of full legal age
3.
a. : one that is superior in rank, importance, station, or performance
minor poets are legion; the majors are few and far between
b. : one of the larger or more important members or units of a kind or group
night baseball in the majors is here to stay — John Drebinger
much effort is made to “standardize” movies … the majors possess a near monopoly — R.A.Brady
c. : major suit
there is a laydown grand slam in either major — Florence Osborn
4.
[probably from French, from Medieval Latin, magnate, chief]
: an army, marine, or airforce officer ranking just below a lieutenant colonel and above a captain
5. : a Salvation Army officer ranking above a senior captain and below a senior major
6.
a. : a subject of academic study chosen as a field of specialization
took English literature as his major
b. : a student specializing in such a field
he is a history major
III. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to pursue an academic major
majoring in history at the university — John Dos Passos