n.
Pronunciation: ' m ī -n ə r
Function: 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