Nearby Words
Related Questions

minority

[mi-nawr-i-tee, -nor, -mahy-] Example Sentences Origin

mi·nor·i·ty

[mi-nawr-i-tee, -nor, -mahy-] noun, plural -ties, adjective
noun
1.
the smaller part or number; a number, part, or amount forming less than half of the whole.
2.
a smaller party or group opposed to a majority, as in voting or other action.
3.
a group differing, especially in race, religion, or ethnic background, from the majority of a population: legislation aimed at providing equal rights for minorities.
4.
a member of such a group.
5.
the state or period of being under the legal age of full responsibility.
adjective
6.
of or pertaining to a minority.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Minority is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

Origin:
1525–35; < Medieval Latin minōritās. See minor, -ity

non·mi·nor·i·ty, adjective
pro·mi·nor·i·ty, adjective


5. childhood, boyhood, girlhood.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To minority
Example Sentences
  • We would no longer tolerate a situation in which the minority had leisure because the majority had labor.
  • America's president and vice-president belong to this talented minority.
  • If you think eating insects is gross, you may be in the cultural minority.
EXPAND
Collins
World English Dictionary
minority (maɪˈnɒrɪtɪ, mɪ-)
 
n , pl -ties
1.  the smaller in number of two parts, factions, or groups
2.  a group that is different racially, politically, etc, from a larger group of which it is a part
3.  a.  the state of being a minor
 b.  Compare majority the period during which a person is below legal age
4.  (modifier) relating to or being a minority: a minority interest; a minority opinion
 
[C16: from Medieval Latin minōritās, from Latin minor]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

minority
1533, "condition of being smaller," from M.L. minoritatem (nom. minoritas), from L. minor (see minor). Meaning "state of being under legal age" is from 1547; that of "smaller number or part" is from 1736. The meaning "group of people separated from the rest of a community
EXPAND
by race, religion, language, etc." is from 1921.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

minority

a culturally, ethnically, or racially distinct group that coexists with but is subordinate to a more dominant group. As the term is used in the social sciences, this subordinancy is the chief defining characteristic of a minority group. As such, minority status does not necessarily correlate to population. In some cases one or more so-called minority groups may have a population many times the size of the dominating group, as was the case in South Africa under apartheid (c. 1950-91).

Learn more about minority with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature