English Dictionary

minor

/ˈmaɪ.nəɹ/

adj

(law) Underage, not having reached legal majority. / (medicine, sometimes figuratively) Not serious, not involving risk of death, permanent injury, dangerous surgery, or extended hospitalization.

He was charged with minor possession of alcohol.

意味（1）

(law) Underage, not having reached legal majority.

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

意味（2）

(medicine, sometimes figuratively) Not serious, not involving risk of death, permanent injury, dangerous surgery, or extended hospitalization.

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.

意味（3）

(music) Smaller by a diatonic semitone than the equivalent major interval.

...a certaine Fraction, which may be the difference betwixt a Tone major and a Tone minor, which we nominate a Schism...

意味（4）

(music) Incorporating a minor third interval above the (in scales) tonic or (in chords) root note, (also figuratively) tending to produce a dark, discordant, sad, or pensive effect.

The minor mode of D is tender.

意味（5）

(Canada, US, education) Of or related to a minor, a secondary area of undergraduate study.

The minor requirements only involve about 20 hours of classes.

意味（6）

(mathematics) Of or related to a minor, a determinate obtained by deleting one or more rows and columns from a matrix.

意味（7）

(logic) 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.

意味（8）

(UK, dated) The younger of two pupils with the same surname.

He whipt her with a foxes taile, Barnes minor,

He whipt her with a foxes taile, Barnes minor, And he whipt her with a foxes taile, Barnes maior.

意味（9）

(music, 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.

意味（10）

(music, 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 semibreve.

意味（11）

(politics, 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...