# majority

Pronunciation: US say "muh-JAH-ri-tee" /məˈd͡ʒɑ.ɹɪti/; UK say "muh-JO-ri-tee" /məˈd͡ʒɒ.ɹɪti/

## Noun

1. More than half of the people or things that make up a group.
   - Simple: More than half of a group of people or things.
   - _A clear majority of the residents supported the new park._
   - _Across all the surveys, large majorities favored the change._
2. In a legislature, the number of seats by which the ruling party leads the opposition; in a UK election, the margin of votes between the winner and the next candidate.
   - Simple: The number of votes or seats by which a winner beats the other side.
   - _The government clung to a slim majority of just two seats._
   - _The sitting member held her seat with a majority of over ten thousand votes._
3. The legal status of full adulthood, reached at a set age, after which a person may act without a guardian.
   - Simple: The age when a person is treated as a full adult by law.
   - _Upon attaining her majority, she took full control of the family trust._
   - _He waited until his majority to claim the inheritance left by his grandfather._
4. The office or position held by a member of the armed forces who has the rank of major.
   - Simple: The rank or job of a major, an officer in the army or other armed forces.
   - _He earned his majority after distinguished service in the field._
   - _The officer held his majority for three years before rising to colonel._

## Other meanings

- (noun) One's ancestors collectively; the people who came before in a family line.

## Origin

From Middle French maiorité, from Medieval Latin maiōritātem, ultimately from Latin maior meaning "greater": essentially major plus the suffix -ity.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/majority (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).