majorité

See also: majorite, Majorite, and mâjorité

French

Etymology

From Medieval Latin māiōritātem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.ʒɔ.ʁi.te/

• audio

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Noun

majorité f (plural majorités)

1. majority (more than half)

   Synonym: la plupart

   Antonym: minorité

   La majorité des citoyens luxembourgeois ont comme langue maternelle le luxembourgeois.

   The majority of Luxembourg's citizens have Luxembourgish as their native language.

   On pense que la majorité des Céphéides classiques pulsent selon le mode fondamental, bien qu’il ne soit pas facile de distinguer le mode d’après la forme de la courbe de lumière.

   It is thought that most classical Cepheids pulsate in the fundamental mode, although it is not easy to distinguish the mode from the shape of the light curve.

2. adulthood (legal)

Usage notes

While its near synonym la plupart defers grammatical agreement of verbs, adjectives, etc. to the noun to which it is related, majorité allows agreement with its related nominal or with itself. Each option carries its own nuance of meaning.

Derived terms

• majorité absolue
• majorité qualifiée
• majorité sexuelle

 

Further reading

• “majorité”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• mijotera