minor

a. [ L., a comparative with no positive; akin to AS. min small, G. minder less, OHG. minniro, a., min, adv., Icel. minni, a., minnr, adv., Goth. minniza, a., mins, adv., Ir. & Gael. min small, tender, L. minuere to lessen, Gr. miny`qein, Skr. mi to damage. Cf. Minish, Minister, Minus, Minute. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Inferior in bulk, degree, importance, etc.; less; smaller; of little account; as, minor divisions of a body. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) Less by a semitone in interval or difference of pitch; as, a minor third. [ 1913 Webster ]

Asia Minor (Geog.), the Lesser Asia; that part of Asia which lies between the Euxine, or Black Sea, on the north, and the Mediterranean on the south. --
Minor mode (Mus.), that mode, or scale, in which the third and sixth are minor, -- much used for mournful and solemn subjects. --
Minor orders (Eccl.), the rank of persons employed in ecclesiastical offices who are not in holy orders, as doorkeepers, acolytes, etc. --
Minor scale (Mus.) The form of the minor scale is various. The strictly correct form has the third and sixth minor, with a semitone between the seventh and eighth, which involves an augmented second interval, or three semitones, between the sixth and seventh, as, 6/F, 7/G♯, 8/A. But, for melodic purposes, both the sixth and the seventh are sometimes made major in the ascending, and minor in the descending, scale, thus: -- [ 1913 Webster ] [ 1913 Webster ] See Major. --
Minor term of a syllogism (Logic), the subject of the conclusion. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ G. Cf. Minor, a. ] (Law) A custom or right, analogous to borough-English in England, formerly existing in various parts of Europe, and surviving in parts of Germany and Austria, by which certain entailed estates, as a homestead and adjacent land, descend to the youngest male heir. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. [ L. minoratus; p. p. of minorare to diminish, fr. minor, a. See 1st Minor. ] To diminish. [ R. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. minoratio: cf. F. minoration. ] A diminution. [ R. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Franciscan Nuns, under Franciscan, a. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. minor less. Cf. 2d Minor, 3. ] A Franciscan friar. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Minorities [ Cf. F. minorité. See Minor, a. & n. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The state of being a minor, or under age. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. State of being less or small. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The smaller number; -- opposed to majority; as, the minority must be ruled by the majority. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Those members of a legislature that belong to the political party which is in the minority in that institution; as, the bill will pass even if the minority are strongly opposed. [ PJC ]

n. Sport) A league of professional sports teams less proficient than a major leagues. Players in the minor leagues generally are paid less than those in the major leagues, and their games attract less atention. Certain minor league sports teams are often owned by those owning a major league club, and the minor league clubs are used to provide practise and opportunity for evaluation for candidates who wish to play in the major leagues.
Syn. -- minor league. [ WordNet 1.5 ]