minor

adj

1. Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option, particularly

   “of minor importance”

   “a minor poet”

   “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.”

   “It is my intention to wait a few years before I publish any minor poems.”

   “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.”

2. Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option

   “The defendant resides at 123 Fake Street with his partner and two minor children.”

3. (figuratively, sometimes)Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option

   “She suffered a minor injury.”

   “There was minor bruising.”

   “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".”

4. Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option

   “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...”

5. Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option

   “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.”

   “The first chorus: ‘Behold the Lamb of God’, with its dark minor chords, brings threatening clouds over us.”

   “Modern harmonists are unwilling to acknowledge that the minor triad is less consonant than the major.”

6. (Canada, US)Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option

   “The minor requirements only involve about 20 hours of classes.”

7. Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option
8. Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option

   “The minor term of John Stuart Mill's famous syllogism—usually mistakenly credited to Aristotle—is Socrates; the major term is mortal.”

9. (UK, dated)Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option

   “He whipt her with a foxes taile, Barnes minor,”

   “Espionage... was a field that had sophisticated itself since the distant time when Patullo Minor... had enthralled his school-fellows with his hazardous escapades.”

10. (historical)Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option

    “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.”

11. (historical)Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option

    “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.”

12. (obsolete)Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option

    “...that the Minor part of the Lords might joyn with the Major part of the House of Commons...”

    “In every other, the minor will be preferred by me to the major vote.”

13. Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option

    “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.”

14. Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option

noun

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.”

   “He was only a minor when he succeeded his father to the barony.”

   “King Richard the second... for the first tenne yeares of his raigne, was a Minor.”

2. 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.”

   “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 of the metropolis.”

3. (abbreviation, alt-of, 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...”

   “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.”

7. (alt-of)Alternative letter-case form of Minor: a Franciscan friar, a Clarist nun.

   “He... to þe menours ordre went”

8. (abbreviation, alt-of, 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.”

9. (abbreviation, alt-of, 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, alt-of, 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.”

12. (abbreviation, alt-of, 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, alt-of, 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.
19. (UK, obsolete, rare)The younger brother of a pupil.

    “Let my minor pass, you fellows!... Here, Chudleigh, just make room there.”

20. (abbreviation, alt-of)Short for graph minor

verb

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

name

1. A surname.