major
Use Major in a sentence
dʒər noun
1.
a commissioned military officer ranking next below a lieutenant colonel and next above a captain.
2.
one of superior rank, ability, etc., in a specified class.
3.
Education.
a.
a subject or field of study chosen by a student to represent his or her principal interest and upon which a large share of his or her efforts are concentrated: History was my major at college.
b.
a student engaged in such study.
4.
a person of full legal age (opposed to minor ).
5.
Music. a major interval, chord, scale, etc.
6.
the majors.
a.
Sports. the major leagues: He coached in the majors as well as in the minors.
b.
the companies or organizations that lead or control a particular field of activity: the oil majors.
adjective
7.
greater in size, extent, or importance: the major part of the town.
8.
great, as in rank or importance: a major political issue; a major artist.
9.
serious or risky: a major operation.
10.
of or pertaining to the majority: the major opinion.
11.
of full legal age.
12.
Music.
a.
(of an interval) being between the tonic and the second, third, sixth, or seventh degrees of a major scale: a major third; a major sixth.
b.
(of a chord) having a major third between the root and the note next above it.
13.
pertaining to the subject in which a student takes the most courses: Her major field is English history.
14.
(initial capital letter) (of one of two male students in an English public school who have the same surname) being the elder or higher in standing: Hobbes Major is not of a scientific bent.
00:10
Major
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is kibitz. Does it mean:
| chat, to converse |
| to flee; abscond: |
verb (used without object)
15.
to follow a major course of study: He is majoring in physics.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Major
Collins
World English Dictionary
major (ˈmeɪdʒə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | military an officer immediately junior to a lieutenant colonel |
| 2. | a person who is superior in a group or class |
| 3. | a large or important company: the oil majors |
| 4. | ( |
| 5. | (US), (Canadian), (Austral), (NZ) |
| a. the principal field of study of a student at a university, etc: his major is sociology | |
| b. a student who is studying a particular subject as his principal field: a sociology major | |
| 6. | a person who has reached the age of legal majority |
| 7. | logic a major term or premise |
| 8. | a principal or important record company, film company, etc |
| 9. | (US), (Canadian) (plural) the majors the major leagues |
| —adj | |
| 10. | larger in extent, number, etc: the major part |
| 11. | of greater importance or priority |
| 12. | very serious or significant: a major disaster |
| 13. | main, chief, or principal |
| 14. | of, involving, or making up a majority |
| 15. | music |
| a. (of a scale or mode) having notes separated by the interval of a whole tone, except for the third and fourth degrees, and seventh and eighth degrees, which are separated by a semitone | |
| b. relating to or employing notes from the major scale: a major key | |
| c. (postpositive) denoting a specified key or scale as being major: C major | |
| d. denoting a chord or triad having a major third above the root | |
| e. (in jazz) denoting a major chord with a major seventh added above the root | |
| 16. | logic constituting the major term or major premise of a syllogism |
| 17. | chiefly (US), (Canadian), (Austral), (NZ) of or relating to a student's principal field of study at a university, etc |
| 18. | (Brit) the elder: used after a schoolboy's surname if he has one or more younger brothers in the same school: Price major |
| 19. | of full legal age |
| 20. | (postpositive) bell-ringing of, relating to, or denoting a method rung on eight bells |
| —vb (usually foll by in) (usually foll by on) | |
| 21. | (US), (Canadian), (Austral), (NZ) to do one's principal study (in a particular subject): to major in English literature |
| 22. | to take or deal with as the main area of interest: the book majors on the peasant dishes |
| [C15 (adj): from Latin, comparative of magnus great; C17 (n, in military sense): from French, short for | |
| 'majorship | |
| —n | |
| Major (ˈmeɪdʒə) | |
| —n | |
| John. born 1943, British Conservative politician: Chancellor of the Exchequer (1989--90); prime minister (1990--97) | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
major
c.1400, from L. major (earlier *magjos), irregular comp. of magnus "large, great" (see magnate). Used in music (of modes, scales, or chords) since 1694, on notion of an interval a half-tone greater than the minor. The verb meaning "focus (one's) studies" is 1924, from noun
in sense of "subject of specialization" (1890).
major
military rank, 1643, from Fr., short for sergent-major, originally a higher rank than at present, from M.L. major "chief officer, magnate, superior person," from L. major "an elder, adult," noun use of the adjective (see major (adj.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
major definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences from the web
The major comic book publishers have also used an alternate history.
This need was a major motivation for the development of accurate mechanical clocks.
Barnstorming was the first major form of civil aviation in the history of flight.
Kane wrote, bill was disheartened by the lack of major accomplishments in his career.
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