Etymology From Middle English minor, menor, menour, etc., from Latin minor (“lesser; young; young person”) both directly and via Norman and Middle French menor, menour, etc. Doublet of minus but not mini-. Cognate with minister, minify, Minorca, Menshevik, and possibly minnow. Compare Latin minimum and minuō, Old High German minniro, Cornish minow.
Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option, particularly
of minor importance
a minor poet
3 more examples
Here we se thre proposicions, or sentences, whereof the first is called Maior, that is to saie, the proposicion at large. the seconde is called Minor, that is to saie, the seuerall proposicion. the thirde is called conclusio.1551, Thomas Wilson, The Rule of Reason..., published 1970, sig. F8:
It is my intention to wait a few years before I publish any minor poems.1819 January 2, John Keats, letter:
There is now such an immense "microliterature" on hepatics that, beyond a certain point I have given up trying to integrate (and evaluate) every minor paper published—especially narrowly floristic papers.1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page viii:
The defendant resides at 123 Fake Street with his partner and two minor children.
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Medicine, SciencesFiguratively, Sometimes Not serious, not involving risk of death, permanent injury, dangerous surgery, or extended hospitalization.
She suffered a minor injury.
There was minor bruising.
2 more examples
He has a minor case of puppy love.
We now know on authority of Dr. Briggs that every case of vaccination is "a minor case of smallpox," and that every such case of smallpox "should be carefully watched until all danger is passed".1899 October, Edward Pollock Anshutz, Homoepathic Envoy, Vol. 10, No. 8, p. 58
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music Smaller by a diatonic semitone than the equivalent major interval.
The musical interval between C and E♭ is a minor third while C to E is a major third.
...a certaine Fraction, which may be the difference betwixt a Tone major and a Tone minor, which we nominate a Schism...1653 [1618], René Descartes, translated by Lord Brouncker, Excellent Compendium of Musick, page 30:
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music Incorporating a minor third interval above the (in scales) tonic or (in chords) root note, (also figurative) tending to produce a dark, discordant, sad, or pensive effect.
Beethoven's melancholy Moonlight Sonata is scored in the key of C# minor, using the diatonic scale C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A, and B, but modulates throughout.
The minor mode of D is tender.1772, William Jones, “On the Arts, Commonly Called Imitative”, in Poems..., page 209:
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The first chorus: ‘Behold the Lamb of God’, with its dark minor chords, brings threatening clouds over us.1843 March, United States Magazine & Democratic Review, page 273:
Modern harmonists are unwilling to acknowledge that the minor triad is less consonant than the major.1880, Edmund Gurney, The Power of Sound, pages 271–272:
After harmony was introduced into music during the late Middle Ages, major and minor triads emerged as the principal chords. The major triad, as C E G, was regarded with especial favor, because it occurs naturally in the harmonic series, as on bugles, and can be expressed by the simple ratios, 4:5:6. A system of tuning for the diatonic scale known today as just intonation gained support in the 16th century, because its principal triads, C E G, F A C, and G B D, had these just ratios. But an important minor triad, D F A, is harsh in just intonation, and other unsatisfactory triads result when this tuning is extended to the complete chromatic scale.1948 November, J.M. Barbour, “Music and Ternary Continued Fractions”, in American Mathematical Monthly, volume 55, number 9, page 545:
The first voice of the fugue that Elizabeth had played... came to him, inverted mockingly and in a minor key.1951, Carson McCullers, “The Sojourner”, in O. Henry Prize Stories of 1951, page 200:
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EducationCanada, US Of or related to a minor, a secondary area of undergraduate study.
The minor requirements only involve about 20 hours of classes.
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Mathematics, Sciences Of or related to a minor, a determinate obtained by deleting one or more rows and columns from a matrix.
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Human sciences, Logic, Mathematics, Philosophy, Sciences Acting as the subject of the second premise of a categorical syllogism, which then also acts as the subject of its conclusion.
The minor term of John Stuart Mill's famous syllogism—usually mistakenly credited to Aristotle—is Socrates; the major term is mortal.
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UK, Dated The younger of two pupils (or the middle of three) with the same surname.
He whipt her with a foxes taile, Barnes minor,c. 1593, Henry Chettle, Kind-harts Dreame, sig. C2
Espionage... was a field that had sophisticated itself since the distant time when Patullo Minor... had enthralled his school-fellows with his hazardous escapades.1978, John Innes Mackintosh Stewart, Full Term, page 250:
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, MusicHistorical Of or related to the relationship between the longa and the breve in a score.
The minor perfect mode was marked by one single line which crossed three spaces, and the longue was equal to three breves... The minor imperfect mode was marked by a line which crossed two spaces only, and its longue was equal only to two breves.1779, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, translated by William Waring, Complete Dictionary of Music, page 243:
Josquin works in minor prolation—that is, works in which the signature indicates that a semibreve is equal to two minims, often have a 3 as a medial signature for a few measures, indicating that until the 3 is canceled by the reappearance of a sign for minor prolation, there are to be 3 minims to a semibreve.1969, Arthur Mendel, "Some Preliminary Attempts at Computer-Assisted Style Analysis in Music", Computers and the Humanities, Vol. 4, No. 1, p. 45
...that the Minor part of the Lords might joyn with the Major part of the House of Commons...1642, Charles I, His Majesties Answer to a Printed Book Entituled A Remonstrance..., page 13:
In every other, the minor will be preferred by me to the major vote.1796 December 27, Thomas Jefferson, letter
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Having little worth or ability; paltry; mean.
And whenever Dre tore her off some money, she always split it up between his kids. She would've felt real minor taking all his cash and spending it on herself, knowing how needy his babies were.2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 128:
Etymology From Middle English minor, menor, menour, etc., from Latin minor (“lesser; young; young person”) both directly and via Norman and Middle French menor, menour, etc. Doublet of minus but not mini-. Cognate with minister, minify, Minorca, Menshevik, and possibly minnow. Compare Latin minimum and minuō, Old High German minniro, Cornish minow.
Law A child, a person who has not reached the age of majority, consent, etc. and is legally subject to fewer responsibilities and less accountability and entitled to fewer legal rights and privileges.
No, he can't get a mortgage or sell the house. He's still a minor. For the most part, he can't sign a legally binding contract.
He was only a minor when he succeeded his father to the barony.
1 more example
King Richard the second... for the first tenne yeares of his raigne, was a Minor.1612, John Davies, A Discouerie of the True Causes Why Ireland Was Neuer Entirely Subdued..., page 88:
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A lesser person or thing, a person, group, or thing of minor rank or in the minor leagues.
He plays in the minors.
She hasn't won a minor since the Sichuan Open.
2 more examples
The play is considered one of his minors.
Mr Gloss'em, who is a shining character in the theatrical world, at least among the minors [minor theaters] of the metropolis.1821, Pierce Egan, Real Life in London..., volume I, page 92:
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, MusicAbbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of minor interval, minor scale, minor mode, minor key, minor chord, or minor triad.
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EducationCanada, US A formally recognized secondary area of undergraduate study, requiring fewer course credits than the equivalent major.
Mathematics, Sciences A determinant of a square matrix obtained by deleting one or more rows and columns.
...the whole of a system of rth minors being zero...1850, James Joseph Sylvester, London, Edinburgh, & Dublin Philosophical Magazine..., volume 37, page 366:
Let A be a non-zero matrix of rank r over a field. Then A has a non-zero r-minor and all s-minors of A are zero for s > r.1986, C. W. Norman, Undergraduate Algebra, →ISBN, page 315:
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Catholicism, Christianity Alternative letter-case form of Minor: a Franciscan friar, a Clarist nun.
He... to þe menours ordre went1447, Osbern Bokenham, Legendys of Hooly Wummen, l. 10520:
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Human sciences, Logic, Mathematics, Philosophy, SciencesAbbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of minor term or minor premise.
And so musten oure clerkis argue whan þai aleggen for her lordeschip þe lyuynge of her patrons & sayntis, & sayen þus: "Seynt thomas & seynt hwe & seynt Swiþune wer þus lordis, & in þis þai suyd cristis lyuynge & his lore; þerfor we may lefulli be þus lordis." And I wote wel þat gabriel schal blow his horne or þai han preuyd þe mynor; þat is, þat þes seyntes or patrons in þis suyden þe lore or þe life of ihesu criste.c. 1450, anonymous author, The Clergy May Not Hold Property, page 31:
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Ball games, Baseball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, SportsAbbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of minor league (“the lower level of teams”).
It is certain that the major leagues must depend upon the minors for their recruits.1890 July 31, Sporting Life, Philadelphia, page 1:
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Hobbies, Ice hockey, Lifestyle, Skating, SportsAbbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of minor penalty (“a penalty requiring a player to leave the ice for 2 minutes unless the opposing team scores”).
Penalties... First Period... all minors.1924 December 30, Gazette, Montreal, page 14:
Brown from a mark on the magazine wing put up the first minor.1903 May 16, Sporting News, Tasmania, page 4:
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Ball games, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Rugby, SportsAbbreviation, Ellipsis, Historical Ellipsis of minor point (“a lesser score formerly gained by certain actions”).
At half-time the score was—one goal, three tries, and four minors.1883 February 5, York Herald, page 8:
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Bridge, GamesAbbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of minor suit, a card of a minor suit.
Many find it easier to remember 20 for Minors, 30 for Majors and 35 for No Trump.1927, Milton Cooper Work, Contract Bridge, page 11:
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Biology, Entomology, Natural sciences Any of various noctuid moths in Europe and Asia, chiefly in the Oligia and Mesoligia genera.
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Biology, Entomology, Natural sciences A leaf-cutter worker ant intermediate in size between a minim and a media.
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Campanology, History, Human sciences, Sciences Changes rung on six bells.
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Obsolete An adolescent, a person above the legal age of puberty but below the age of majority.
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Mathematics, SciencesObsolete, Rare Synonym of subtrahend, the amount subtracted from a number.
Etymology From Middle English minor, menor, menour, etc., from Latin minor (“lesser; young; young person”) both directly and via Norman and Middle French menor, menour, etc. Doublet of minus but not mini-. Cognate with minister, minify, Minorca, Menshevik, and possibly minnow. Compare Latin minimum and minuō, Old High German minniro, Cornish minow.