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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.

. An officer of the army holding a rank next above that of brigadier general and next below that of lieutenant general, and who usually commands a division or a corps.

A man who has authority to act, within certain limits, as master of the house; a steward; also, a chief minister or officer.

The right of succession to property according to age; -- so termed in some of the countries of continental Europe.

The office or rank of a major.

Increase; enlargement. [Obs.] Bacon.

Of or pertaining to Majorca. -- n.

The quality or condition of being major or greater; superiority. Specifically:

The office of major.

The adjutant of a regiment.

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The staff of an army, including all officers above the rank of colonel, also, all adjutants, inspectors, quartermasters, commissaries, engineers, ordnance officers, paymasters, physicians, signal officers, judge advocates; also, the noncommissioned assistants of the above officers.

See Tierce, 4.

A superior force which under certain circumstances is held to exempt from contract obligations; inevitable accident; -- a civil-law term used as nearly equivalent to, but broader than, the common-law term act of God (which see).

The name of the sixth tone in the model major scale (that in C), or the first tone of the minor scale, which is named after it the scale in A minor. The second string of the violin is tuned to the A in the treble staff. -- A sharp (A#) is the name of a musical tone intermediate between A and B. -- A flat (A) is the n…

A syllogism or form of argument in which the major is evident, but the minor is only probable.

which amounts to an acquittal and remission of his punishment. Halifax was absolved by a majority of fourteen. Macaulay.

The remaining part of a whole tone after a smaller semitone has been deducted from it; a major semitone. [Obs.]

crease and ascertain the condemnation. Jer. Taylor. The ministry, in order to ascertain a majority . . . persuaded the queen to create twelve new peers. Smollett. The mildness and precision of their laws ascertained the rule and measure of taxation. Gibbon.

e, or dominant, its fifth below (fourth above), or subdominant, and its relative minor or major.