minor

minor
{{11}}minor (adj.) early 13c., menour "Franciscan" (see MINOR (Cf. minor) (n.)), from L. minor "less, lesser, smaller, junior," figuratively "inferior, less important," formed as a masculine/feminine form of minus on the mistaken assumption that minus was a neuter comparative, from PIE root *mei- "small" (see MINUS (Cf. minus)).
Some English usages are via O.Fr. menor "less, smaller, lower; underage, younger," from L. minor. Meaning "underage" is from 1570s. Meaning "lesser" in English is from early 15c.; that of "less important" is from 1620s. The musical sense is from 1690s. In the baseball sense, minor league is from 1884; the figurative extension is first recorded 1926.
{{12}}minor (n.) early 14c., "a Franciscan," from L. Fratres Minores "lesser brethren," name chosen by St. Francis, who founded the order, for the sake of humility; see MINOR (Cf. minor) (adj.). From c.1400 as "minor premise of a syllogism." From 1610s as "person under legal age" (Latin used minores (pl.) for "the young"). Musical sense is from 1797. Meaning "secondary subject of study, subject of study with fewer credits than a major" is from 1890; as a verb in this sense from 1934.

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  • minor — mi·nor 1 n: a person who has not yet reached the age of majority compare adult, juvenile, major minor 2 adj 1 a: being less important or serious …   Law dictionary

  • Minor — ist der Name folgender Personen: Edward S. Minor (1840–1924), US amerikanischer Politiker Ilka Minor (* 1975), österreichische Rallye Beifahrerin Inge Minor (* 1936), deutsche Eiskunstläuferin Jakob Minor (1855–1912), österreichischer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • minor — MINÓR, Ă, minori, e. adj. 1. (Adesea substantivat) Care nu a împlinit încă vârsta la care îşi poate exercita toate drepturile. 2. Lipsit de importanţă, neînsemnat, secundar; p. ext. şters, slab. 3. (muz.; în sintagmele) Mod minor = mod a cărui… …   Dicționar Român

  • Minor — • That which is less, or inferior in comparison with another, the term being employed as well of things as of persons Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Minor     Minor      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • minor — [mī′nər] adj. [ME menour < L minor < IE * minu , small < base * mei , to lessen > Gr meiōn, less, ON minni, smaller] 1. a) lesser in size, amount, number, or extent b) lesser in importance or rank 2. under full legal age (usually… …   English World dictionary

  • minor — mi nor (m[imac] n[ e]r), 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 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • minor in — ˈminor in [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they minor in he/she/it minors in present participle minoring in past tense minored in past p …   Useful english dictionary

  • Minor — Mi nor, n. 1. A person of either sex who has not attained the age at which full civil rights are accorded; an infant; in England and the United States, one under twenty one years of age. [1913 Webster] Note: In hereditary monarchies, the minority …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Minor — Nom porté en Bretagne (22, 29), également écrit Le Minor, Le Mineur (22). Il correspond au breton minor , équivalent du français mineur (d âge), qui a souvent désigné un pupille, l orphelin d un seul parent et, localement, un héritier unique ou… …   Noms de famille

  • Minor — Minor, AL U.S. Census Designated Place in Alabama Population (2000): 1116 Housing Units (2000): 471 Land area (2000): 0.694337 sq. miles (1.798324 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.694337 sq.… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Minor, AL — U.S. Census Designated Place in Alabama Population (2000): 1116 Housing Units (2000): 471 Land area (2000): 0.694337 sq. miles (1.798324 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.694337 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

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