Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Minor

1. Inferior in bulk, degree, importance, etc.; less; smaller; of little account; as, minor divisions of a body.

2. Less by a semitone in interval or difference of pitch; as, a minor third.

(Science: medicine) asia minor The form of the minor scale is various. The strictly correct form has the third and sixth minor, with a semitone between the seventh and eighth, which involves an augmented second interval, or three semitones, between the sixth and seventh, as, 6/F, 7/G#, 8/A. But, for melodic purposes, both the sixth and the seventh are sometimes made major in the ascending, and minor in the descending, scale, thus: see major.

(Science: logic) minor term of syllogism, the subject of the conclusion.

Origin: L, a comparative with no positive; akin to AS. Min small, g. Minder less, OHG. Minniro, a, min, adv, Icel. Minni, a, minnr, adv, goth. Minniza, a, mins, adv, ir.