maioritas

Forms

maiōritās f (genitive maiōritātis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin maior (“greater”) + -tās,^[1][2] a derivative of the comparative of magnus (“great”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL's only ancient example is in the declamations attributed to Quintilian,^[2] which Köbler dates, with a query, to the 2nd century AD;^[4] there it means the greater part.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word belongs to medieval Latin.^[4] Niermeyer records the senses increase, superiority, full age and the office of a mayor;^[5] Du Cange adds precedence, sovereignty and gravity, as in maioritas causae, a case of greater weight.^[6] Charters of Hungary and Poland use it for size, the greater part and seniority,^[7][8] and the Ecclesiastical Latin sense is majority.^[9]

In Renaissance Latin it means being greater, as in Lorenzo Valla.^[10] French took it as majorité, the source of English majority, first “superiority”, then “full age” and finally “the greater number”.^[3]

Timeline

• 2nd century AD? – Pseudo-Quintilian uses it for the greater part.^[2][4]
• 1119 – A diploma uses it in its medieval sense.^[4]
• 1249 – A charter of the patriarch of Aquileia uses it for precedence at Mass.^[6]
• 1369 – A letter uses it for the king's sovereignty.^[6]
• 1428 – Guarino's correspondence uses it for being greater.^[10]
• 1550s – English borrows majority through French.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. The greater part.^[2]
2. (Medieval Latin) Increase, augmentation.^[5][6]
3. (Medieval Latin) Superiority, precedence; sovereignty.^[5][6]
4. (Medieval Latin) Full age, majority.^[5][9]
5. (Medieval Latin) The office of a mayor.^[5]
6. (Medieval Latin) Size; importance, gravity.^[7][6]

Related words

• English majority

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ a b c d e f du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
7. ^ a b Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
8. ^ Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
9. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
10. ^ a b Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de