Where does “major” come from?

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

major (Portuguese): major military rank

Definitions

  1. major military rank

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