major

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

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

major

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

majour (obsolete)

Etymology

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

enPR: mā'jə(r)
IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪ.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/
Audio (General American): (file)
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Rhymes: -eɪdʒə(ɹ)

Adjective

major (comparative more major, superlative most major)

(attributive):
1. Greater in dignity, rank, importance, significance, or interest.
  - 2013 June 13, Karen McVeigh, “US supreme court rules human genes cannot be patented”, in The Guardian Weekly‎^[1], volume 189, number 2, page 10:
    The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation.
2. Greater in number, quantity, or extent.
  the major part of the assembly
  
  Synonym: main
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
Of full legal age, having attained majority.
major children
(education) Of or relating to a subject of academic study chosen as a field of specialization.
(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.
(UK, dated) Indicating the elder of two brothers, appended to a surname in public schools.
(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

minor

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

greater in significance or importance

Belarusian: гало́ўны (be) m (halóŭny)
Bulgarian: важен (bg) (važen)
Finnish: tärkeä (fi), merkittävä (fi)
French: majeur (fr), de taille (fr), très important
German: bedeutend (de), wichtig (de)
Greek: μεγάλος (el) (megálos)
Hungarian: jelentős (hu), lényeges (hu), számottevő (hu)
Italian: significativo (it), principale (it), notevole (it), importante (it)
Latin: maior (la), major
Persian: مهم (fa) (mohemm), بزرگ (fa) (bozorg)
Polish: poważny (pl), istotny (pl), znaczny (pl)
Portuguese: maior (pt), principal (pt), mor (pt)
Spanish: considerable (es), significante (es), importante (es), significativo (es), gran (es), mayúsculo (es), protagónico

greater in number, quantity, or extent

Bulgarian: значителен (bg) (značitelen)
Finnish: suurin (fi)
French: plus grand, plus important, majeur (fr)
Galician: maior (gl), meirande
Greek: μεγάλος (el) (megálos)
Hungarian: nagyobb (hu)
Italian: grande (it), considerevole (it), cospicuo (it)
Latin: maior (la), major
Persian: عمده (fa) ('omde)
Portuguese: maior (pt)

of full legal age; having attained majority

Bulgarian: пълнолетен (bg) (pǎlnoleten)
Catalan: major (ca)
Danish: fuldmyndig
Dutch: meerderjarig (nl)
Finnish: täysi-ikäinen (fi)
French: majeur (fr)
Galician: maior (gl)
German: volljährig (de)
Hungarian: nagykorú (hu)
Icelandic: myndugur
Italian: maggiore (it)
Norwegian: myndig
Occitan: major (oc)
Polish: pełnoletni (pl)
Portuguese: maior (pt), maior de idade (pt)
Swedish: myndig (sv)
Turkish: ergin (tr)

music: of a scale

Afrikaans: majeur (af)
Bulgarian: мажорен (mažoren)
Catalan: major (ca)
Czech: dur (cs)
Finnish: duuri (fi)
French: majeur (fr)
German: dur (de)
Greek: μείζων (el) (meízon)
Hungarian: dúr (hu)
Italian: maggiore (it)
Norwegian: dur
Persian: ماژور (fa) (mâžor)
Polish: dur (pl) m
Portuguese: maior (pt)
Russian: мажо́рный (ru) (mažórnyj)
Spanish: mayor (es)
Turkish: majör (tr)

music: of an interval

Afrikaans: majeur (af)
Finnish: suuri (fi)
French: majeur (fr)
Hungarian: nagy (hu)
Italian: maggiore (it)
Portuguese: maior (pt)
Russian: мажо́рный (ru) (mažórnyj)

music: containing the note which is a major third above the tonic

Czech: durový (cs) m
Italian: maggiore (it)
Polish: durowy (pl)
Portuguese: maior (pt)

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

Czech: ^{(please verify)} hlavní (cs)
Dutch: ^{(please verify)} belangrijk (nl)
French: ^{(please verify)} majeure (fr) f
German: ^{(please verify)} große (de) f

Noun

major (plural majors)

(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
A person of legal age.
Antonym: minor
(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.
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.
(education, Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand) The principal subject or course of a student working toward a degree at a college or university.
Midway through his second year of college, he still hadn't chosen a major.

Synonym: (UK) course
1. A student at a college or university specializing on a given area of study.
  She is a math major.
(logic):
1. Ellipsis of major term.
2. Ellipsis of major premise.
(bridge) Ellipsis of major suit.
(Canadian football) A touchdown, or major score.
(Australian rules football) A goal.
(British slang, dated) An elder brother (especially at a public school).
(entomology) A large leaf-cutter ant that acts as a soldier, defending the nest.
(obsolete) Alternative form of mayor and mair.

Derived terms

Translations

military rank

Albanian: major (sq) m
Arabic: رَائِد m (rāʔid)
Armenian: մայոր (hy) (mayor)
Azerbaijani: mayor (az)
Belarusian: маёр m (majór)
Bengali: মেজর (bn) (mejor)
Bulgarian: майо́р m (majór)
Burmese: ဗိုလ်မှူး (my) (builhmu:)
Catalan: major (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 少校 (zh) (shàoxiào)
Czech: major (cs) m
Danish: major (da) c
Dutch: majoor (nl) m
Esperanto: majoro (eo)
Estonian: major (et)
Finnish: majuri (fi)
French: commandant (fr) m, major (fr) m
Galician: maior (gl) m
Georgian: მაიორი (maiori)
German: Major (de) m
Greek: ταγματάρχης (el) (tagmatárchis) (army), επισμηναγός (el) (episminagós) (airforce)
Hindi: मेजर (hi) m (mejar)
Hungarian: őrnagy (hu)
Indonesian: mayor (id)
Irish: maor m, maor airm m
Italian: maggiore (it) m
Japanese: 少佐 (ja) (しょうさ, shōsa), 少領 (ja) (しょうりょう, shōryō)
Korean: 소좌 (sojwa), 소령 (ko) (soryeong)
Kyrgyz: миң башы (miŋ başı)
Lao: ພັນຕີ (lo) (phan tī)
Latin: maior (la) m, major m
Latvian: majors m
Lithuanian: majoras m
Macedonian: ма́јор m (májor)
Malay: mejar
Manx: ard-chaptan m
Maori: meiha
Mongolian: хошууч (mn) (xošuuč)
Persian: سرگرد (fa) (sargord)
Polish: major (pl) m
Portuguese: major (pt) m
Romanian: maior (ro) m, maiori m pl
Russian: майо́р (ru) m (majór)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: бо̑јнӣк m, бо̑јница f, ма̀јо̄р m

Roman: bȏjnīk (sh) m, bȏjnica (sh) f, màjōr (sh) m
Slovak: major m
Slovene: majór m, majórka f
Spanish: comandante (es) m, mayor (es) m
Swahili: meja (sw)
Swedish: major (sv) c
Tajik: майор (mayor)
Tatar: майор (mayor)
Telugu: మేజరు (mējaru)
Thai: พันตรี (th) (pan-trii)
Turkish: binbaşı (tr)
Ukrainian: майо́р m (majór)
Uzbek: mayor (uz)
Vietnamese: thiếu tá (vi)

person of legal age

Danish: voksen (da) c
Dutch: meerderjarige (nl) m or f
Finnish: täysi-ikäinen (fi)
French: majeur (fr) m
German: Volljährige (de) m
Greek: ενήλικας (el) m or f (enílikas)
Hungarian: nagykorú (hu), nagykorú személy
Italian: maggiorenne (it)
Macedonian: полноле́тник m (polnolétnik)
Polish: pełnoletni (pl) m, pełnoletnia (pl) f
Portuguese: maior (pt), maior de idade (pt)
Russian: совершенноле́тний (ru) m (soveršennolétnij), совершенноле́тняя (ru) f (soveršennolétnjaja)
Spanish: mayor de edad m
Tatar: буйга җиткән (buyga citkän), яше җиткән (yaşe citkän), балигъ булган (baliğ bulgan)

principal subject or course

Arabic:
Gulf Arabic: تخصص (taḵaṣuṣ)
Bulgarian: специализация f (specializacija)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 主修 (zh) (zhǔxiū), 專攻／专攻 (zh) (zhuāngōng), 專業／专业 (zh) (zhuānyè)
Dutch: hoofdvak (nl) n
Esperanto: ĉefa fako
Finnish: pääaine (fi)
French: matière principale f
German: Hauptfach (de) n, Hauptstudienfach m, Hauptstudiengang m
Greek: ειδικότητα (el) f (eidikótita)
Hungarian: szak (hu), alapszak, főszak (hu), főtárgy (hu)
Indonesian: jurusan (id)
Irish: príomhábhar m
Italian: laurea (it) f, corso di laurea m
Japanese: 専攻 (ja) (せんこう, senkō)
Korean: 전공(專攻) (ko) (jeon'gong)
Polish: kierunek (pl) m, rozszerzenie (pl) n, specjalizacja (pl) f
Russian: профили́рующая дисципли́на f (profilírujuščaja disciplína), гла́вный предме́т m (glávnyj predmét), основно́й предме́т m (osnovnój predmét)
Spanish: asignatura principal f, carrera académica f
Swedish: huvudämne n
Tagalog: kalakhan
Thai: วิชาเอก (th) (wí-chaa-èek)
Turkish: bölüm (tr)
Ukrainian: спеціа́льність (uk) f (speciálʹnistʹ)

student specializing in a specified subject

Finnish: pääaineopiskelija
French: étudiant spécialisé m, étudiante spécialisée f
Greek: ειδικευόμενος m (eidikevómenos)
Hungarian: (… szakos) hallgató
Indonesian: jurusan (id)
Spanish: encarrerado (es) m

major premise — see major premise

Verb

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

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

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

Latvian: ^{(please verify)} mažora

References

“major”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
“major”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

Jarmo, joram

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin maiōrem.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [məˈʒo]
IPA^(key): (Valencia) [maˈd͡ʒoɾ]

Adjective

major m or f (masculine and feminine plural majors)

larger (superlative: el major / la major—largest)
older (superlative: el major / la major—oldest)
main, principal
(music) major

Derived terms

Related terms

majoria

Noun

major m (plural majors)

(military) major

Noun

major m or f by sense (plural majors)

someone of age, adult

Czech

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈmajor]

Noun

major m anim (related adjective majorský)

major (military)

Declension

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

majorka f

Estonian

Estonian Wikipedia has an article on:

major

Wikipedia ^et

Etymology

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

Noun

major (genitive majori, partitive majorit)

major (rank)

Declension

Declension of major (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		major	majorid
accusative	nom.	major
accusative	gen.	majori
genitive		majori	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

kindralmajor

French

Etymology

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

IPA^(key): /ma.ʒɔʁ/
Audio: (file)

Noun

major m or f (plural majors) (military)

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

Derived terms

Hungarian

Etymology

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

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

Noun

major (plural majorok)

farm

Declension

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

References

^ 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).

Interlingua

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /maˈʒor/

Adjective

major (not comparable)

(comparative degree of grande) bigger

Latin

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈmai̯.i̯or/, [ˈmäi̯ːɔr]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.jor/, [ˈmäːjor]

Adjective

major (neuter majus, positive magnus); third declension

Alternative spelling of maior.

Inflection

Third-declension comparative adjective.

	masc./fem.	neuter	masc./fem.	neuter
	singular		plural
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

“major”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
major in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

major

Wikipedia ^pl

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈma.jɔr/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -ajɔr
Syllabification: ma‧jor

Noun

major m pers (abbreviation mjr)

major (military rank)

Declension

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

Portuguese

Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:

major

Wikipedia ^pt

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈʒɔʁ/ [maˈʒɔh]
- (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /maˈʒɔɾ/
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /maˈʒɔʁ/ [maˈʒɔχ]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈʒɔɻ/

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐˈʒɔɾ/
- (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐˈʒɔ.ɾi/

Rhymes: -ɔɾ
Hyphenation: ma‧jor

Noun

major m or f by sense (plural majores)

(military) major (military rank)

Noun

major m (plural majores)

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

Adjective

major m or f (plural majores)

(rare) major
Synonym: maior

References

^ “major”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024

Romanian

Etymology

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

Adjective

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

major (significant)

Declension

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

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from German Major, from Latin māior.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

màjōr m (Cyrillic spelling ма̀јо̄р)

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

Declension

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

(Serbo-Croatian): bojnik

Swedish

Pronunciation

Audio: (file)

Noun

major c

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

Declension

Declension of major

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

References

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

[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).

[2] “major”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024

[namnbok-3] 1.0 ^1.1 Utrikes namnbok (7th ed., 2007) →ISBN

[1]

[1]

[1]

major

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

Anagrams

Catalan

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Derived terms

Related terms

Noun

Noun

Further reading

Czech

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

Estonian

Etymology

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

French

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Further reading

Hungarian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

References

Further reading

Interlingua

Pronunciation

Adjective

Latin

Pronunciation

Adjective

Inflection

References

Polish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Further reading

Portuguese

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Noun

Adjective

References

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Adjective

Declension

Serbo-Croatian