Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “semimajor” come from?

semimajor (English) comes from English Major, from Middle English major, from Latin māior, from Latin magnus, from Proto-Indo-European meǵh₂- — big, great; great; big, stour, great.

semimajor (English): Of or pertaining to the semimajor axis, the long...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to the semimajor axis, the long...

Ancestry of “semimajor”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMajorTitle for an army officer with the rank of major
2Middle Englishmajor—
3Latinmāior—
4Latinmagnuslarge, big; great; important
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmeǵh₂-big, great; great; big, stour, great
Every word from Proto-Indo-European meǵh₂- →