Where does “major” come from?

Major comes from French major, from Latin maior meaning "greater," from the Proto-Indo-European root meǵh₂- meaning "great" or "large."

major (English): A military rank between captain and lieutenant...

Definitions

  1. A military rank between captain and lieutenant...

Ancestry of “major”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmajormajor, the upper rank of French non-commissioned...
2Latinmāiorancestors, forefathers; advanced in years, the aged; the elders
3Latinmagnuslarge, big; great; important
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmeǵh₂-big, great; great; big, stour, great

Words derived from “major”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European meǵh₂- →Every word from Latin magnus →Every word from Latin māior →