Definition of: minor

(mī′nər) adjective
1. Less in number, quantity, or extent: opposed to major.
2. Of secondary consideration.
3. Music a Higher than the corresponding major interval by a semitone, b Characterized by minor intervals, scales, or tones. c In a minor key; sad; plaintive.
4. Logic Designating a minor term.
—noun
1. One below the age when full civil and personal rights can be exercised.
2. Logic A minor term or minor premise. See SYLLOGISM.
3. Music A minor key, interval, etc.
4. Hence, a pathetic or plaintive quality, as in literature or art.
5. U.S. A branch of study for degree candidates in colleges and universities, usually related to but requiring less time than a major; a secondary subject of study.
6. In English public schools, the younger of two namesakes; junior. ♦ Homophone: miner. [<L]