major

major
I. adjective Etymology: Middle English maiour, from Latin major, comparative of magnus great, large — more at much Date: 15th century 1. greater in dignity, rank, importance, or interest <
one of the major poets
>
2. greater in number, quantity, or extent <
the major part of his work
>
3. having attained majority 4. a. notable or conspicuous in effect or scope ; considerable <
a major improvement
>
b. prominent or significant in size, amount, or degree <
earned some major cash
>
5. involving grave risk ; serious <
a major illness
>
6. of or relating to a subject of academic study chosen as a field of specialization 7. a. having half steps between the third and fourth and the seventh and eighth degrees <
major scale
>
b. based on a major scale <
major key
>
c. equivalent to the distance between the keynote and another tone (except the fourth and fifth) of a major scale <
major third
>
d. having a major third above the root <
major triad
>
II. noun Date: 1616 1. a person who has attained majority 2. a. one that is superior in rank, importance, size, or performance <
economic power of the oil majors
>
b. a major musical interval, scale, key, or mode 3. a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps ranking above a captain and below a lieutenant colonel 4. a. an academic subject chosen as a field of specialization b. a student specializing in such a field <
a history major
>
5. plural major league baseball — used with the 6. any of several high-level tournaments in professional golf III. intransitive verb Date: 1913 to pursue an academic major <
majored in English
>

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Major — Major …   Deutsch Wörterbuch

  • major — [ maʒɔr ] adj. et n. • XVIe; en provenç., XIIIe; lat. major, compar. de magnus « grand » I ♦ Adj. Milit. Supérieur par le rang (dans quelques comp.).⇒ état major, tambour major. Médecin major. Sergent major. II ♦ N. 1 …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Major — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Major (homonymie). Major est un grade militaire, qui se situe différemment dans la hiérarchie militaire suivant les pays. Il désigne le premier grade d officier supérieur ou, dans l armée française, un grade… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Major — ist ein militärischer Dienstgrad verschiedener Länder. Er gehört zur Dienstgradgruppe der Stabsoffiziere. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Historisches 2 Deutschland 3 Österreich 4 Schweiz …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • major — MAJÓR, Ă, majori, e, adj. 1. (Despre oameni) Care a împlinit vârsta legală pentru a putea beneficia prin lege de drepturi civile şi politice depline. 2. Foarte important, principal. ♦ (log.: în sintagmele) Termen major = predicatul concluziei… …   Dicționar Român

  • Major — Ma jor, [L. major, compar. of magnus great: cf. F. majeur. Cf. {Master}, {Mayor}, {Magnitude}, {More}, a.] 1. Greater in number, quantity, or extent; as, the major part of the assembly; the major part of the revenue; the major part of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • major — Major. s. m. Officier de guerre dans un corps, qui porte les ordres des Commandants à tous les autres Officiers. Le Major d un Regiment. le Major de, la place. Major des Gardes du Corps, Est un Officier qui fait servir les Gardes auprés du Roy, & …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • major — [mā′jər] adj. [ME maiour < L major, compar. of magnus, great: see MAGNI ] 1. a) greater in size, amount, number, or extent b) greater in importance or rank 2. of full legal age 3. constituting the majority: said of a part, etc …   English World dictionary

  • major — is commonly used, especially in journalism, to mean ‘important, significant’, without any notion of comparison inherent in the word s origins. A political leader invariably gives a major speech, a reference book is published in a major new… …   Modern English usage

  • Major — Ma jor, n. [F. major. See {Major}, a.] 1. (Mil.) An officer next in rank above a captain and next below a lieutenant colonel; the lowest field officer. [1913 Webster] 2. (Law) A person of full age. [1913 Webster] 3. (Logic) That premise which… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • major in — ˈmajor in [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they major in he/she/it majors in present participle majoring in past tense majored in past p …   Useful english dictionary

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