Meaning

adjective of greater importance or stature or rank

noun a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines; below lieutenant colonel and above captain

verb have as one's principal field of study

originFrom Middle English major, from Latin maior, comparative of magnus (“great, large; noble, important”), from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂yōs (“greater”), comparative of *meǵh₂- (“great”). Compare West Frisian majoar (“major”),…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0