Word Origin Atlas

Exact historical dictionary sense

Major in Webster's 1913 dictionary

The 1913 record labels major as adjective. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.

WEBSTER 1913adjective
Major

[L. major, compar. of magnus great: cf. F. majeur. Cf. Master, Mayor, Magnitude, More, a.]

Cross-verified historical sense
The source text may be outdated. The page preserves that historical boundary.
Cross-verified 1913 record
Headwordmajor
Part of speechadjective
Historical etymology[L. major, compar. of magnus great: cf. F. majeur. Cf. Master, Mayor, Magnitude, More, a.]
Selected historical definitionGreater in number, quantity, or extent; as, the major part of the assembly; the major part of the revenue; the major part of the territory.
Signed record IDwebster1913-major-adjective-a652954410cd
Source locatorCIDE.M, paragraph 1063; Gutenberg eBook 665
Edition-scoped answerNot earliest-attestation proofNot modern consensus
Independent historical textProject Gutenberg section 665Signed structural record sourceGNU GCIDE 0.54 archive
Quick answer

In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "major" is labeled adjective. Its etymology is recorded as: "[L. major, compar. of magnus great: cf. F. majeur. Cf. Master, Mayor, Magnitude, More, a.]" The selected historical definition says: "Greater in number, quantity, or extent; as, the major part of the assembly; the major part of the revenue; the major part of the territory."

Project Gutenberg Webster 1913 plus signed GNU GCIDE 0.54 Exact cross-verified historical record reviewed 2026-09-05

What this answer proves

One named sense in one historical dictionary edition.

The answer reports the selected headword, part of speech, etymology, definition, and source locator as transcribed in the cross-verified 1913 record.

Evidence boundaryIt does not establish the earliest attestation or a complete borrowing chain.It does not claim current scholarly consensus or a modern dictionary definition.Historical dictionary text may be obsolete, incomplete, inaccurate, or offensive by modern standards.

More released M records

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noun

Must

[AS. must, fr. L. mustum (sc. vinum), from mustus young, new, fresh. Cf. Mustard.]

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Money

[OE. moneie, OF. moneie, F. monnaie, fr. L. moneta. See Mint place where coin is made, Mind, and cf. Moidore, Monetary.]

Webster 1913 exact recordnoun

Million

[F., from LL. millio, fr. L. mille a thousand. See Mile.]

Webster 1913 exact recordnoun

Moment

[F. moment, L. momentum, for movimentum movement, motion, moment, fr. movere to move. See Move, and cf. Momentum, Movement.]

Webster 1913 exact recordnoun

Mother

[Akin to D. modder mud, G. moder mold, mud, Dan. mudder mud, and to E. mud. See Mud.]

Webster 1913 exact record

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