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Encyclopedia Britannica

MAJOR (Lat. for " greater ")

This article appears in Volume V17, Page 450 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: LUP-MAL

MAJOR (Lat. for " greater ") , a word used, both as a substantive and adjective, for that which is greater than another in size, quality, degree, importance, &c., often opposed correlatively to that to which "

minor

" is applied in the same

connotation

CONNOTATION

. In the categorical syllogism in logic, the major

term

TERM

is the

term

TERM

which forms the predicate of the conclusion, the major premise is that which contains the major term. (For the distinction between major and

minor

intervals, and other applications in music, see Music and HARMONY.)
The use of Major as part of an official title in Med. Lat. has given the Span. mayor, Fr. maire, and Eng. " mayor " (q.v.). In English the unadapted form "major" is the title of a military officer now ranking between a captain and a

lieutenant

LIEUTENANT

-colonel. Originally the word was used adjectivally in the title " sergeant-major," an officer of high rank (third in command of an army) who performed the same duties of administration,

drill

DRILL

and encampments on the staff of the

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

commander

COMMANDER

as the sergeant in a company performs as assistant to the captain. This was in the latter half of the 16th century, and very soon after-wards the "sergeant-major " became known as the " sergeantmajor-general "hence the modern title of major-general. By the time of the English Civil War " majors " had been introduced in each

regiment

REGIMENT (from Late Latin regimentum, rule, regere, to rule, govern, direct)

of foot., who. corresponded in a lesser sphere to the " major-general " of the whole army. The major's sphere of duties, precedence and title have since varied but little, though he has, in the British service, taken the place of the

lieutenant

LIEUTENANT

-colonel as second in commandthe latter officer exercising the command of the cavalry

regiment

REGIMENT (from Late Latin regimentum, rule, regere, to rule, govern, direct)

, infantry battalion or artillery brigade, and the colonel being, save for certain administrative functions, little more than the titular

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

of his regiment. Junior majors command companies of infantry; squadrons of cavalry and batteries of artillery are also commanded by majors. In most European armies, however, and of

late

LATE

years in the army of the United States also, the major has become a battalion

commander

COMMANDER

under the orders of a regimental commander (colonel or lieutenant-colonel). The word appears also in the British service in " brigade-major (the

adjutant

ADJUTANT (from Lat. adjutare, to aid)

or staff officer of a brigade). " Town-majors " (garrison staff officers) are now no longer appointed. In the French service up to 1871 the " major-general " was the chief of, the general staff of a field army, and thus preserved the tradition of the former " sergeant-major " or " sergeant-majorgeneral."

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