Where does “major” come from?

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

major (French): major, the upper rank of French non-commissioned...

Definitions

  1. major, the upper rank of French non-commissioned...

Ancestry of “major”, step by step

major traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin māior

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinmāiorancestors, forefathers; advanced in years, the aged; the elders
2Latinmagnuslarge, big; great; important
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmeǵh₂-big, great; great; big, stour, great

via Middle French major

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchmajor

Words derived from “major

Every word from Proto-Indo-European meǵh₂-Every word from Latin magnusEvery word from Latin māior