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minority

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Minorities
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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, esp. 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.
Use minority in a Sentence
Origin:
1525–35; < ML minōritās. See minor, -ity

Synonyms:
5. childhood, boyhood, girlhood.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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Minorities
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mi·nor·i·ty   (mə-nôr'ĭ-tē, -nŏr'-, mī-)   
n.   pl. mi·nor·i·ties

    1. The smaller in number of two groups forming a whole.

    2. A group or party having fewer than a controlling number of votes.

    3. A racial, religious, political, national, or other group thought to be different from the larger group of which it is part.

    4. A group having little power or representation relative to other groups within a society.

    5. A member of one of these groups. See Usage Note at color.

    1. A racial, religious, political, national, or other group thought to be different from the larger group of which it is part.

    2. A group having little power or representation relative to other groups within a society.

    3. A member of one of these groups. See Usage Note at color.

  3. Law The state or period of being under legal age: still in her minority.


[French minorité, from Medieval Latin minōritās, from Latin minor, smaller; see minor.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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 by race, religion, language, etc." is from 1921.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: mi·nor·i·ty
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
1 a : the period before attainment of majority b : the state of being a minor
2 : the smaller of two groups constituting a whole: as a : a group (as in a legislative body) having less than the number of votes necessary for control b : a group of judges among those hearing an appeal who disagree with the majority's judgment : DISSENT 3 c : a group of jurisdictions taking a less widespread approach to or view of a legal question, issue, or problem
3 a : a part of a population differing esp. from the dominant group in some characteristics (as race, sex, or national origin) and often subject to differential treatment b : a member of a minority minorities>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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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.
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