Wiktionary

major

See also: maior, Major, majór, majôr, and majör

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English major, from Latin maior, comparative of magnus (“great, large; noble, important”), from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂yōs (“greater”), comparative of *meǵh₂- (“great”). Compare West Frisian majoar (“major”), Dutch majoor (“major”), French majeur. Doublet of mayor.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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major (comparative more major, superlative most major)

  1. (attributive):
    1. Greater in dignity, rank, importance, significance, or interest.
    2. Greater in number, quantity, or extent.
      Synonym: main
      the major part of the assembly
    3. Notable or conspicuous in effect or scope.
      Synonym: considerable
    4. Prominent or significant in size, amount, or degree.
      to earn some major cash
    5. (medicine) Involving great risk, serious, life-threatening.
      to suffer from a major illness
  2. Of full legal age, having attained majority.
    major children
  3. (education) Of or relating to a subject of academic study chosen as a field of specialization.
  4. (music):
    1. Having intervals of a semitone between the third and fourth, and seventh and eighth degrees. (of a scale)
      major scale
    2. Equivalent to that between the tonic and another note of a major scale, and greater by a semitone than the corresponding minor interval. (of an interval)
      major third
      1. Having a major third above the root.
        major triad
    3. (postpositive) (of a key) Based on a major scale, tending to produce a bright or joyful effect.
    4. (campanology) Bell changes rung on eight bells.
  5. (UK, dated) Indicating the elder of two brothers (or the eldest of three), appended to a surname in public schools.
  6. (logic)
    1. Occurring as the predicate in the conclusion of a categorical syllogism. (of a term)
    2. Containing the major term in a categorical syllogism. (of a premise)

Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

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major (plural majors)

  1. (military) A rank of officer in the army and the US air force, between captain and lieutenant colonel.
    He used to be a major in the army.
    1. An officer in charge of a section of band instruments, used with a modifier.
      Meronyms: drum major, trumpet major
  2. A person of legal age.
    Antonym: minor
  3. (music):
    1. Ellipsis of major key.
    2. Ellipsis of major interval.
    3. Ellipsis of major scale.
    4. (campanology) A system of change-ringing using eight bells.
  4. A large, commercially successful company, especially a record label that is bigger than an indie.
    • 1997, Dominic Pride, “U.S. success caps global impact of XL's prodigy”, in Billboard‎[2], 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.
  5. (education, Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand) The principal subject or course of a student working toward a degree at a college or university.
    Synonym: (UK) course
    Midway through his second year of college, he still hadn't chosen a major.
    1. A student at a college or university specializing on a given area of study.
      She is a math major.
  6. (logic):
    1. Ellipsis of major term.
    2. Ellipsis of major premise.
  7. (bridge) Ellipsis of major suit.
  8. (Canadian football) A touchdown, or major score.
  9. (Australian rules football) A goal.
  10. (British slang, dated) An elder brother (especially at a public school).
  11. (entomology) A large leaf-cutter ant that acts as a soldier, defending the nest.
  12. (obsolete) Alternative form of mayor and mair.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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

  1. (intransitive) Used in a phrasal verb: major in.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

References

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Anagrams

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Catalan

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Etymology

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Inherited from Latin maiōrem.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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major m or 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

Derived terms

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Noun

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major m (plural majors)

  1. (military) major

Noun

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major m or f by sense (plural majors)

  1. someone of age, adult

Further reading

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Czech

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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major m anim (relational adjective majorský)

  1. major (military)

Declension

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Declension of major (hard masculine animate)
singular plural
nominative major majoři
genitive majora majorů
dative majorovi, majoru majorům
accusative majora majory
vocative majore majoři
locative majorovi, majoru majorech
instrumental majorem majory

Derived terms

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Further reading

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  • “major”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
  • “major”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Estonian

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Estonian Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

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

Noun

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major (genitive majori, partitive majorit)

  1. major (rank)

Declension

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Declension of major (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)
singular plural
nominative major majorid
accusative nom.
gen. majori
genitive majorite
partitive majorit majoreid
illative majorisse majoritesse
majoreisse
inessive majoris majorites
majoreis
elative majorist majoritest
majoreist
allative majorile majoritele
majoreile
adessive majoril majoritel
majoreil
ablative majorilt majoritelt
majoreilt
translative majoriks majoriteks
majoreiks
terminative majorini majoriteni
essive majorina majoritena
abessive majorita majoriteta
comitative majoriga majoritega

Derived terms

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French

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Etymology

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From Middle French major, from Spanish mayor, from Latin maior. Doublet of maire, majeur, and mayeur. The use for a non-commissioned officer in the French army (since 1972) is a short form of adjudant-major or sergent-major.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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major m or f (plural majors) (military)

  1. (France) the highest non-commissioned officer rank: sergeant major, “major”
    Coordinate terms: (other armies) adjudant-chef, adjudant-major
  2. (North America, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, DRC) major (field officer rank)
    Coordinate terms: (French army) commandant, chef, (navies) capitaine de corvette

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Hungarian

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Etymology

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From Bavarian [Term?], compare Middle High German meier, Old High German meior, meiū̌r, standard German Meier (“administrator or leaseholder of a manor”); ultimately from Latin maior (“greater; leader”). The semantic shift from the person to the place is unclear; either via their identification, or by a clipping of a derivation like majorság, majorház, majorszoba.[1] The German equivalent terms for the place are Meierhof and Meierei (“feudal manor”).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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major (plural majorok)

  1. farm

Declension

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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
non-attributive
possessive – singular 		majoré majoroké
non-attributive
possessive – plural 		majoréi majorokéi
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

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References

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  1. ^ Benkő, Loránd, ed. A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára I–IV. (“The Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”). Budapest: Akadémiai, 1967–1984. →ISBN. Vol. 1: A–Gy (1967), vol. 2: H–O (1970), vol. 3: Ö–Zs (1976), vol. 4: index (1984).

Further reading

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  • (farm): major in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
  • ([archaic] major [military rank]): major , redirecting to its synonym őrnagy in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.

Interlingua

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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major (not comparable)

  1. (comparative degree of grande) bigger

Latin

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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major (comparative, neuter majus, positive magnus); third declension

  1. Alternative spelling of maior.

Inflection

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Third-declension comparative adjective.

singular plural
masc./fem. neuter masc./fem. neuter
nominative major majus majōrēs majōra
genitive majōris majōrum
dative majōrī majōribus
accusative majōrem majus majōrēs
majōrīs 		majōra
ablative majōre
majōrī 		majōribus
vocative major majus majōrēs majōra

References

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Polish

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Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

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Borrowed from German Major, from Latin maior. Doublet of mer (“mayor”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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major m pers (abbreviation mjr)

  1. major (military rank)

Declension

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Declension of major
singular plural
nominative major majorowie/majorzy
genitive majora majorów
dative majorowi majorom
accusative majora majorów
instrumental majorem majorami
locative majorze majorach
vocative majorze majorowie/majorzy

Further reading

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  • major in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • major in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

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Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

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Borrowed from French major.[1] Doublet of maior.

Pronunciation

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  • Rhymes: -ɔɾ
  • Hyphenation: ma‧jor

Noun

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major m or f by sense (plural majores)

  1. (military) major (military rank)
  2. (Brazil, colloquial, used in the vocative) A term of address for someone
    Synonyms: amigo, chefe, grande, jogador, capitão

Noun

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major m (plural majores)

  1. (Brazil) brown-chested martin (Progne tapera)
    Synonym: andorinha-do-campo

Adjective

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major m or f (plural majores)

  1. (rare) major
    Synonym: maior

References

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  1. ^ “major”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025

Further reading

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French majeur, from Latin maior. Doublet of maior and possibly mare.

Adjective

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major m or n (feminine singular majoră, masculine plural majori, feminine and neuter plural majore)

  1. major (significant)

Declension

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Declension of major
singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative-
accusative 		indefinite major majoră majori majore
definite majorul majora majorii majorele
genitive-
dative 		indefinite major majore majori majore
definite majorului majorei majorilor majorelor

Serbo-Croatian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from German Major, from Latin maior.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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màjōr m (Cyrillic spelling ма̀јо̄р)

  1. (military, Serbo-Croatian, Serbo-Croatian) major (rank)
    Synonym: tisućnik

Declension

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Declension of major
singular plural
nominative màjōr majori
genitive majóra majora
dative majoru majorima
accusative majora majore
vocative mȁjōre majori
locative majoru majorima
instrumental majorom majorima

Synonyms

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Swedish

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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major c

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

Declension

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Declension of major
nominative genitive
singular indefinite major majors
definite majoren majorens
plural indefinite majorer majorers
definite majorerna majorernas

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Utrikes namnbok (7th ed., 2007) →ISBN
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