major

major
adj., n., & v.
—adj.
1 important, large, serious, significant (a major road; a major war; the major consideration must be their health).
2 (of an operation) serious or life-threatening.
3 Mus. a (of a scale) having intervals of a semitone between the third and fourth, and seventh and eighth degrees. b (of an interval) greater by a semitone than a minor interval (major third). c (of a key) based on a major scale, tending to produce a bright or joyful effect (D major).
4 of full age.
5 Brit. (appended to a surname, esp. in public schools) the elder of two brothers or the first to enter the school (Smith major).
6 Logic a (of a term) occurring in the predicate or conclusion of a syllogism. b (of a premiss) containing a major term.
—n.
1 Mil. a an army officer next below lieutenant-colonel and above captain. b an officer in charge of a section of band instruments (drum major; pipe major).
2 a person of full age.
3 US a a student's special subject or course. b a student specializing in a specified subject (a philosophy major).
4 Logic a major term or premiss.
—v.intr. (foll. by in) US study or qualify in a subject (majored in theology).
Phrases and idioms:
major axis the axis of a conic, passing through its foci. major-general an officer next below a lieutenant-general. major league US a league of major importance in baseball etc. major part (often foll. by of) the majority. major piece Chess a rook or queen. major planet Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune. major prophet Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or Daniel. major suit Bridge spades or hearts.
Derivatives:
majorship n.
Etymology: ME f. L, compar. of magnus great

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Synonyms:


Look at other dictionaries:

  • 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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