major

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)

1. (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, 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

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, 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)

Noun

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, 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.

   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.

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.

Verb

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.

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

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)

1. larger (superlative: el major / la major—largest)
2. older (superlative: el major / la major—oldest)
3. main, principal
4. (music) major

Noun

major m (plural majors)

1. (military) major

Noun

major m or f by sense (plural majors)

1. someone of age, adult

Further reading

• “major” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “major”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “major” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “major” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmajor]

Noun

major m anim (relational adjective majorský)

1. major (military)

Further reading

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

Etymology

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

Noun

major (genitive majori, partitive majorit)

1. major (rank)

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)

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) major (field officer rank)

   Coordinate terms: (French army) commandant, chef, (navies) capitaine de corvette

Further reading

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