5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Minor  \Mi"nor\,  n. 
  1.  A  person  of  either  sex  who  has  not  attained  the  age  at 
  which  full  civil  rights  are  accorded;  an  infant;  in 
  England  and  the  United  States,  one  under  twenty-one  years 
  of  age. 
 
  Note:  In  hereditary  monarchies,  the  minority  of  a  sovereign 
  ends  at  an  earlier  age  than  of  a  subject.  The  minority 
  of  a  sovereign  of  Great  Britain  ends  upon  the 
  completion  of  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age. 
 
  2.  (Logic)  The  minor  term,  that  is  the  subject  of  the 
  conclusion;  also  the  minor  premise,  that  is  that  premise 
  which  contains  the  minor  term;  in  hypothetical  syllogisms, 
  the  categorical  premise.  It  is  the  second  proposition  of  a 
  regular  syllogism,  as  in  the  following:  Every  act  of 
  injustice  partakes  of  meanness;  to  take  money  from  another 
  by  gaming  is  an  act  of  injustice;  therefore,  the  taking  of 
  money  from  another  by  gaming  partakes  of  meanness. 
 
  3.  A  Minorite;  a  Franciscan  friar. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Minor  \Mi"nor\,  a.  [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  &  Gael.  min  small  tender,  L.  minuere  to  lessen,  Gr  ?, 
  Skr.  mi  to  damage.  Cf  {Minish},  {Minister},  {Minus}, 
  {Minute}.] 
  1.  Inferior  in  bulk,  degree,  importance,  etc.;  less  smaller; 
  of  little  account;  as  minor  divisions  of  a  body. 
 
  2.  (Mus.)  Less  by  a  semitone  in  interval  or  difference  of 
  pitch;  as  a  minor  third 
 
  {Asia  Minor}  (Geog.),  the  Lesser  Asia;  that  part  of  Asia 
  which  lies  between  the  Euxine,  or  Black  Sea,  on  the  north, 
  and  the  Mediterranean  on  the  south. 
 
  {Minor  mode}  (Mus.),  that  mode,  or  scale,  in  which  the  third 
  and  sixth  are  minor,  --  much  used  for  mournful  and  solemn 
  subjects. 
 
  {Minor  orders}  (Eccl.),  the  rank  of  persons  employed  in 
  ecclesiastical  offices  who  are  not  in  holy  orders  as 
  doorkeepers,  acolytes,  etc 
 
  {Minor  scale}  (Mus.)  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[sharp]}, 
  ^{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: 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  minor 
  adj  1:  of  lesser  importance  or  stature  or  rank;  "a  minor  poet"; 
  "had  a  minor  part  in  the  play";  "a  minor  official"; 
  "many  of  these  hardy  adventurers  were  minor  noblemen"; 
  "minor  back  roads"  [ant:  {major}] 
  2:  lesser  in  scope  or  effect;  "had  minor  differences";  "a  minor 
  disturbance"  [ant:  {major}] 
  3:  inferior  in  number  or  size  or  amount;  "a  minor  share  of  the 
  profits";  "Ursa  Minor"  [ant:  {major}] 
  4:  (music)  of  a  scale  or  mode;  "the  minor  keys";  "in  B  flat 
  minor"  [ant:  {major}] 
  5:  (law)  not  of  legal  age;  "minor  children"  [syn:  {nonaged},  {underage}] 
  [ant:  {major}] 
  6:  of  lesser  seriousness  or  danger;  "suffered  only  minor 
  injuries";  "some  minor  flooding";  "a  minor  tropical 
  disturbance"  [ant:  {major}] 
  7:  of  your  secondary  field  of  academic  concentration  or 
  specialization  [ant:  {major}] 
  8:  (British)  of  the  younger  of  two  boys  with  the  same  family 
  name  "Jones  minor"  [syn:  {minor(ip)}] 
  9:  (theology)  warranting  only  temporal  punishment;  "venial  sin" 
  [syn:  {venial}] 
  10:  limited  in  size  or  scope;  "a  small  business";  "a  newspaper 
  with  a  modest  circulation";  "small-scale  plans"  [syn:  {modest}, 
  {small},  {small-scale}] 
  n  :  a  young  person  of  either  sex  (between  birth  and  puberty); 
  "she  writes  books  for  children";  "they're  just  kids"; 
  "`tiddler'  is  a  British  term  for  youngsters"  [syn:  {child}, 
  {kid},  {youngster},  {shaver},  {nipper},  {small  fry},  {tiddler}, 
  {tike},  {tyke},  {fry},  {nestling}] 
 
  From  U.S.  Gazetteer  (1990)  [gazetteer]: 
 
  Minor,  AL  (CDP,  FIPS  49072) 
  Location:  33.52530  N,  86.94761  W 
  Population  (1990):  3313  (1349  housing  units) 
  Area:  8.2  sq  km  (land),  0.1  sq  km  (water) 
 
  From  THE  DEVIL'S  DICTIONARY  ((C)1911  Released  April  15  1993)  [devils]: 
 
  MINOR,  adj  Less  objectionable. 
 
 

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