The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
MAJOR
major
(adjective) greater in number or size or amount; “a major portion (a majority) of the population”; “Ursa Major”; “a major portion of the winnings”
major
(adjective) greater in scope or effect; “a major contribution”; “a major improvement”; “a major break with tradition”; “a major misunderstanding”
major
(adjective) of full legal age
major
(adjective) (of a scale or mode) having half steps between the third and fourth degrees and the seventh and eighth degrees; “major scales”; “the key of D major”
major
(adjective) of the field of academic study in which one concentrates or specializes; “his major field was mathematics”
major
(adjective) of greater importance or stature or rank; “a major artist”; “a major role”; “major highways”
major
(adjective) of greater seriousness or danger; “a major earthquake”; “a major hurricane”; “a major illness”
major
(adjective) of the elder of two boys with the same family name; “Jones major”
major
(noun) the principal field of study of a student at a university; “her major is linguistics”
major
(noun) a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines; below lieutenant colonel and above captain
major
(noun) a university student who is studying a particular field as the principal subject; “she is a linguistics major”
Major, John Major, John R. Major, John Roy Major
(noun) British statesman who was prime minister from 1990 until 1997 (born in 1943)
major
(verb) have as one’s principal field of study; “She is majoring in linguistics”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Noun
major (plural majors)
(military ranks) A military rank between captain and lieutenant colonel.
Usage notes
• When used as a title, it is always capitalized.
• In the US, the rank corresponds to pay grade O-4. Abbreviations: Maj. and MAJ.
Etymology 2
Adjective
major (comparative more major, superlative most major)
Of great significance or importance.
Greater in number, quantity, or extent
Of full legal age, having attained majority
(music) Of a scale that follows the pattern: tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone - tone - semitone
(music) Being the larger of two intervals denoted by the same ordinal number.
(music) Containing the note a major third (four half steps) above the tonic.
(campanology) Bell changes rung on eight bells.
Antonyms
• minor
Noun
major (plural majors)
(US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) The main area of study of a student working toward a degree at a college or university.
(US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) A student at a college or university concentrating on a given area of study.
A person of legal age.
(logic) The major premise.
(Canadian football) A touchdown, or major score.
A large, commercially successful company, especially a record label that is bigger than an indie.
(British slang, dated) An elder brother (especially at a public school).
(zoology) A large leaf-cutter ant that acts as a soldier, defending the nest.
Antonyms
• (a person of legal age): minor
Verb
major (third-person singular simple present majors, present participle majoring, simple past and past participle majored)
(intransitive) to concentrate on a particular area of study as a student in a college or university
Anagrams
• joram
Proper noun
Major
A surname.
An unincorporated community in Kentucky.
A village in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Noun
Major (plural Majors)
(military) Title for an army officer with the rank of major.
Anagrams
• joram
Source: Wiktionary
Ma"jor, Etym: [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.
2. Of greater dignity; more important. Shak.
3. Of full legal age. [Obs.]
4. (Mus.)
Definition: Greater by a semitone, either in interval or in difference of pitch from another tone. Major axis (Geom.), the greater axis. See Focus, n., 2.
– 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 premise (Logic), that premise of a syllogism which contains the major term.
– 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 term (Logic), that term of a syllogism which forms the predicate of the conclusion.
– Major third (Mus.), a third of two steps.
Ma"jor, n. Etym: [F. major. See Major, a.]
1. (Mil.)
Definition: An officer next in rank above a captain and next below a lieutenant colonel; the lowest field officer.
2. (Law)
Definition: A person of full age.
3. (Logic)
Definition: 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].
Note: In hypothetical syllogisms, the hypothetical premise is called the major.
4. Etym: [LL. See Major.]
Definition: A mayor. [Obs.] Bacon.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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