majority (English)
Where does "majority" come from?
The word 'majority' traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂- meaning 'great.' This evolved into the Latin 'maior' (greater), which eventually formed the Medieval Latin 'maiōritās' to denote the quality of being greater. After passing through Middle French as 'maiorité,' the term entered English, keeping its connection to both numerical superiority and the attainment of full legal adulthood.
Full etymology tree
- majority (English), 'More than half (50%) of some group.'
- borrowed maiorité (Middle French), 'majority (state of being a major; of having attained the age of an adult)'
- inherited maiōritās (Latin), 'majority'
- compound major (Latin), 'alternative spelling of maior'
- inherited maior (Latin), 'comparative degree of magnus'
- inherited *magjōs (Proto-Italic), 'comparative degree of *magnos'
- inherited *méǵh₂yōs (Proto-Indo-European), 'bigger, greater'
- compound *méǵh₂s (Proto-Indo-European), 'big, great'
- derived *meǵh₂- (Proto-Indo-European)
- compound *-yōs (Proto-Indo-European), 'Forms adjectives from roots, meaning "very" or "rather".'
- compound *méǵh₂s (Proto-Indo-European), 'big, great'
- inherited *méǵh₂yōs (Proto-Indo-European), 'bigger, greater'
- inherited *magjōs (Proto-Italic), 'comparative degree of *magnos'
- inherited maior (Latin), 'comparative degree of magnus'
- compound -itās (Latin), 'alternative form of -tās'
- inherited *-teh₂ts (Proto-Indo-European), 'Used to form nouns representing state of being'
- compound major (Latin), 'alternative spelling of maior'
- inherited maiōritās (Latin), 'majority'
- borrowed maiorité (Middle French), 'majority (state of being a major; of having attained the age of an adult)'
Direct ancestors
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris