[mi.nor.i.ty] n, pl -ties often attrib (1547) 1 a: the period before attainment of majority b: the state of being a legal minor
2: the smaller in number of two groups constituting a whole; specif: a group having less than the number of votes necessary for control 3 a: a part of a population differing from others in some characteristics and often subjected to differential treatment b: a member of a minority group "an effort to hire more minorities"