junior

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin junior, a contraction of iuvenior (“younger”) which is the comparative of iuvenis (“young”); see juvenile.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒuːniə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒuniɚ/
• Rhymes: -uːniə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: ju‧nior

Adjective

junior (not generally comparable, comparative more junior, superlative most junior)

1. (comparable) Low in rank; having a subordinate role, job, or situation.
2. (not comparable, often preceded by a possessive adjective or a possessive form of a noun) Younger.
   • 2003, Karen Frisch, Creating Junior Genealogists, →ISBN:

     Far less likely to intimidate your junior genealogist is the Internet, with its databases, message and bulletin boards, online collections, and more. Now is also the time to introduce your children to older relatives, who can be valuable resources and provide precious information.

   • 2010, Julie Cross, Humor in Contemporary Junior Literature, →ISBN, page 1:

     Humorous books for junior readers are often ignored by the critical community, due, in part, to what Milner Davis describes as a “conventional bias against comic genres” (1996: 101), and I consider this a serious oversight within the field of children's literature.

   • 2011, Julian Barnes, Knowing French (Storycuts), →ISBN:

     There she is: Lady Margaret Hall, eight years junior to me, exhibitioner where I was top scholar, and reading French. (Not veterinary science.)

   • 2012, Junior Golf in Pictures: The Junior Golfer's Handbook, →ISBN:

     A handbook for junior golfers covering a wide range of golfing instruction and information with over 250 photographs of juniors learning, playing, practicing and enjoying the game of golf.

   • 2013, Krishna Mohan Mishra, Me and Medicine, →ISBN, page 111:

     Instead of going to the unit I walked in the opposite direction towards the medicine lecture room with various thoughts going through my mind — most of them were positive as this was a great opportunity to practise what I had learnt so far and should have a good impact on students who were 3–4 years junior to me and not known to me.

3. (not comparable) Belonging to a younger person, or an earlier time of life.
   • 1642, [Thomas Browne], “(please specify the page)”, in Religio Medici, London: […] Andrew Crooke, →OCLC:

     Though our first Studies and junior Endeavours may stile us Peripateticks, Stoicks, or Academicks, yet I perceive the wisest Heads prove at last, almost all Scepticks […]

4. (not comparable, chiefly US) Of or pertaining to a third academic year in a four-year high school (eleventh grade) or university.

Noun

junior (countable and uncountable, plural juniors)

1. (countable) A younger person.

   Antonym: senior

   four years his junior

   • 1922, Angela Brazil, Monitress Merle:

     Miss Mitchell would certainly be most relieved to have a monitress who was capable of organising the juniors at games.

   • 1939, P. G. Wodehouse, Uncle Fred in the Springtime:

     The last man I met who was at school with me, though some years my junior, had a long white beard and no teeth.

2. A name suffix used after a son's name when his father has the same name (abbreviations: Jnr., Jr., Jun.).
3. (uncountable) A clothing size for girls or women.

   Coordinate terms: junior miss, misses

4. (countable, chiefly US, Philippines) A third-year student at a high school or university.
5. (countable, law) A junior barrister.

Verb

junior (third-person singular simple present juniors, present participle junioring, simple past and past participle juniored)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To work in a junior role (on something).
   • 2013, Mick Lowe, Conspiracy of Brothers, page 325:

     Greenspan had juniored the Demeter murder trial with defence lawyer Joe Pomerant and was, by 1980, well on his way to becoming the most renowned criminal lawyer in Canada.

   • 2016, Rainier George Weiner, Living on Lifesavers:

     Stephens brought with him a general manager, Bob Rodgers. Bob […] never let adversity faze him. He was always in charge. Mr. Rodgers could dance just enough to do some junioring, but acted primarily as a sales manager.

2. (transitive) To have juniors (more advanced students) assist in instructing (beginners).
   • 2006, Jim and Leann Rathbone, James Mitose and the Path of Kenpo

     The technique of "junioring" beginners and the first five lesson plan and private lessons were adaptations developed at that time. They are credited with the Americanization of Karate as a business as well as a martial art.

Further reading

• “junior”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Etymology

From Latin junior.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

junior m (plural junioren or juniors, diminutive junioortje n)

1. junior (younger or lower-ranked person, for example in job titles)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin juniorem; Doublet of geindre. Cf. also the inherited Old French oblique case gignor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒy.njɔʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

junior m or f by sense (plural juniors)

1. (sports) junior

Adjective

junior (plural juniors)

1. junior (all senses)

See also

• juveigneur

Further reading

• “junior”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.