major

n. [ F. major. See Major, a. ] 1. (Mil.) An officer next in rank above a captain and next below a lieutenant colonel; the lowest field officer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) A person of full age. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Logic) That premise which contains the major term. It its the first proposition of a regular syllogism; as: No unholy person is qualified for happiness in heaven [ the major ]. Every man in his natural state is unholy [ minor ]. Therefore, no man in his natural state is qualified for happiness in heaven [ conclusion or inference ]. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In hypothetical syllogisms, the hypothetical premise is called the major. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. [ LL. See Major. ] A mayor. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ L. major, compar. of magnus great: cf. F. majeur. Cf. Master, Mayor, Magnitude, More, a. ] 1. Greater in number, quantity, or extent; as, the major part of the assembly; the major part of the revenue; the major part of the territory. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of greater dignity; more important. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Of full legal age; adult. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Mus.) Greater by a semitone, either in interval or in difference of pitch from another tone. [ 1913 Webster ]

Major key (Mus.), a key in which one and two, two and three, four and five, five and six and seven, make major seconds, and three and four, and seven and eight, make minor seconds. --
Major offense (Law), an offense of a greater degree which contains a lesser offense, as murder and robbery include assault. --
Major scale (Mus.), the natural diatonic scale, which has semitones between the third and fourth, and seventh and fourth, and seventh and eighth degrees; the scale of the major mode, of which the third is major. See Scale, and Diatonic. --
Major second (Mus.), a second between whose tones is a difference in pitch of a step. --
Major sixth (Mus.), a sixth of four steps and a half step. In major keys the third and sixth from the key tone are major. Major keys and intervals, as distinguished from minors, are more cheerful. --
Major third (Mus.), a third of two steps. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. A small genus of herbs usually included in the genus Origanum.
Syn. -- genus Majorana. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ F. majorat, LL. majoratus. See Major, a., and cf. Majorate. ] 1. The right of succession to property according to age; -- so termed in some of the countries of continental Europe. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (French Law) Property, landed or funded, so attached to a title of honor as to descend with it. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ LL. majorare to augment. See Major, a. ] To augment; to increase. [ Obs. ] Howell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The office or rank of a major. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Increase; enlargement. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Geom.), The greater axis of a geometrical figure. Especially: the longest axis of an ellipse or ellipsoid, which passes through the two foci. See Focus, n., 2. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

prop. a. Of or pertaining to Majorca. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Majorca. [ 1913 Webster ]