| 释义 |
ma·jor
I. \ˈmājə(r)\ adjective
Etymology: Middle English majour, from Latin major larger, greater, compar. of magnus large, great — more at much
1. : greater in dignity, rank, importance, or interest : superior
< regarded him as one of the major poets of his generation — Douglas Cleverdon >
< the minor and major arts are flourishing — Saturday Review >
2. : greater in number, quantity, or extent : larger
< output of salt showed marked increases by all of the major … producing countries — Americana Annual >
< the major part of this work was undertaken by him — H.W.H.Knott >
3. : of full legal age
< major children >
4. : notable or conspicuous in effect or scope : considerable, principal — compare negligible
< on a major military offensive — Collier's Year Book >
< so that no single country produced any of the major weapons exclusively in its own territory — Denis Healey >
5. : involving grave risk : serious
< a major illness >
< a major operative procedure >
6.
a. : of or relating to a subject of academic study chosen as a field of specialization
b. : of or relating to a secondary-school course requiring a maximum of classroom hours
7.
a. of a scale : having half steps between the third and fourth and the seventh and eighth degrees
b. of a key : based (as in its harmonic relations) on such a scale — opposed to minor; used after the name of a keynote
< sonata in C major >
< the F-major symphony >
c. of an interval
(1) : greater by a half step than minor : of a size equal to the distance between the keynote and a (specified) degree of the major scale — used of the second, third, sixth, and seventh; compare perfect
(2) : greater by a comma — used of one whole step in an untempered scale compared with another
< C-D is a major step, greater than the minor step D-E >
— compare temperament
d. of a mode in mensurable music : having the large divided into longs
II. noun
(-s)
Etymology: Medieval Latin, from Latin, adjective
1. archaic : major premise
2. : a person of full legal age
3.
a. : one that is superior in rank, importance, station, or performance
< minor poets are legion; the majors are few and far between >
b. : one of the larger or more important members or units of a kind or group
< night baseball in the majors is here to stay — John Drebinger >
< much effort is made to “standardize” movies … the majors possess a near monopoly — R.A.Brady >
c. : major suit
< there is a laydown grand slam in either major — Florence Osborn >
4. [probably from French, from Medieval Latin, magnate, chief] : an army, marine, or airforce officer ranking just below a lieutenant colonel and above a captain
5. : a Salvation Army officer ranking above a senior captain and below a senior major
6.
a. : a subject of academic study chosen as a field of specialization
< took English literature as his major >
b. : a student specializing in such a field
< he is a history major >
III. intransitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
: to pursue an academic major
< majoring in history at the university — John Dos Passos > |