minor

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minor¹

  • /ˈmaɪ.nəɹ/ US
  • /ˈmaɪnə/ UK

Sounds like miner, mynah (non-rhotic) · Rhymes with -aɪnə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

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.

adjective more minor · most minor · miner · maner · minore · minour

  1. Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option, particularly of minor importance
  2. Underage, not having reached legal majority. The defendant resides at 123 Fake Street with his partner and two minor children.
  3. figuratively, sometimes Not serious, not involving risk of death, permanent injury, dangerous surgery, or extended hospitalization. She suffered a minor injury.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. specifically Aeolian, natural minor.
  7. Canada, US Of or related to a minor, a secondary area of undergraduate study. The minor requirements only involve about 20 hours of classes.
  8. Of or related to a minor, a determinate obtained by deleting one or more rows and columns from a matrix.
  9. 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.
  10. 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,
  11. historical 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.
  12. historical Having semibreves twice as long as a minim. 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
  13. obsolete Of or related to a minority party. ...that the Minor part of the Lords might joyn with the Major part of the House of Commons...
  14. 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.
  15. Including both directed and undirected edges.

Similar: insignificant and Thesaurus:small · Opposite: major, antonym(s) of

noun minors · miner · maner · minore · minour · mynor

  1. 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.
  2. A lesser person or thing, a person, group, or thing of minor rank or in the minor leagues. He plays in the minors.
  3. abbreviation, ellipsis Ellipsis of minor interval, minor scale, minor mode, minor key, minor chord, or minor triad.
  4. Canada, US A formally recognized secondary area of undergraduate study, requiring fewer course credits than the equivalent major. I got a minor in English Lit.
  5. Canada, US, uncommon A person who is completing or has completed such a course of study. I became an English minor.
  6. 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...
  7. Alternative letter-case form of Minor: a Franciscan friar, a Clarist nun. He... to þe menours ordre went
  8. abbreviation, 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 h
  9. abbreviation, 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.
  10. abbreviation, 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.
  11. Australian Synonym of behind: a one-point kick. Brown from a mark on the magazine wing put up the first minor.

    Similar: behind

  12. abbreviation, 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.
  13. abbreviation, 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.
  14. Any of various noctuid moths in Europe and Asia, chiefly in the Oligia and Mesoligia genera.
  15. A leaf-cutter worker ant intermediate in size between a minim and a media.
  16. Changes rung on six bells.
  17. obsolete An adolescent, a person above the legal age of puberty but below the age of majority.
  18. obsolete, rare Synonym of subtrahend, the amount subtracted from a number.

    Similar: subtrahend

  19. UK, obsolete, rare The younger brother of a pupil. Let my minor pass, you fellows!... Here, Chudleigh, just make room there.
  20. abbreviation Short for graph minor

verb minors · minoring · minored · miner · maner

  1. intransitive Used in a phrasal verb: minor in.

Minor²

proper noun Minors

  1. A surname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: insignificant, modest, small, small-scale, little, tiddler, nonaged, limited, venial, pardonable, junior, underage, secondary, child, youngster, nipper

adjective

Similar: insignificant and Thesaurus:small · Opposite: major, antonym(s) of

Translations

Every language

adj lesser in importance

Españolmenor
Portuguêsmenor
Françaismineur
Deutschgering, geringfügig, klein, unbedeutend, untergeordnet, nachgeordnet
Italianominore
Ελληνικάελάσσων elásson, ασήμαντος asímantos, ήσσων ísson
Русскийнезначи́тельный neznačítelʹnyj, второстепе́нный vtorostepénnyj

adj musical scale with a minor third

Portuguêsmenor
Françaismineur
Deutschmoll
Italianominore
Ελληνικάελάσσων elásson, μινόρε minóre
Русскиймино́рный minórnyj

adj smaller by a semitone

Ελληνικάμικρή mikrí
Русскийма́лый mályj

noun subject of secondary undergraduate study

Españolminor, carrera menor (académica)
中文輔修 /辅修 fǔxiū, 副修 fùxiū, 輔系 /辅系 fǔxì
DeutschNebenfach
Русскийнепро́фильный предме́т neprófilʹnyj predmét

noun someone below the legal age of majority

Españolmenor, menor de edad
한국어미성년자 miseongnyeonja
日本語未成年者 miseinensha
中文未成年人 wèichéngniánrén, 未成年者 wèichéngniánzhě
हिन्दीअवयस्क avayask, किशोर kiśor, नाबालिग़ nābāliġ
Portuguêsmenor
Françaismineur
DeutschMinderjähriger, Minderjährige, minderjährige Person
Italianominore
Русскийнесовершенноле́тний nesoveršennolétnij, малоле́тний malolétnij
עבריתקָטִין katín, קְטִינָה k'tiná

verb verb

中文輔修 /辅修 fǔxiū

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Cite this
MLA

"minor." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/minor. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

minor. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/minor

Chicago

"minor." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/minor.

BibTeX
@misc{minor_2026,
  title = {minor},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/minor},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}