major

昧着(major)良心修主修课

major 主要的，主修课程

来自拉丁语maior,来自*magjos变体，来自来自PIE*meg,伟大的，巨大的，词源同magnate,*yos,比较级后缀。引申词义主要的，主修课程等。

major

major: [16] Latin mājor ‘larger’ was the comparative form of magnus ‘large’, from which English gets magnitude, magnum etc (in early Latin it was *māgjōs). English originally acquired it as an adjective. Its noun use, for an army officer, followed in the 17th century. This represented a borrowing from French major, which was short for sergeant-major (in those days, ‘sergeant major’ was a more elevated rank than it is today). The derivative majority [16] comes via French majorité from medieval Latin mājōritās. Mayor comes from Latin mājor, routed via Old French.
=> magnitude, magnum, mayor

major (adj.)

c. 1300, from Latin maior (earlier *magjos), irregular comparative of magnus "large, great" (see magnate). Used in music (of modes, scales, or chords) since 1690s, on notion of an interval a half-tone greater than the minor.

major (n.)

military rank, 1640s, from French major, short for sergent-major, originally a higher rank than at present, from Medieval Latin major "chief officer, magnate, superior person," from Latin maior "an elder, adult," noun use of the adjective (see major (adj.)). The musical sense attested by 1797.

major (v.)

"focus (one's) studies," 1910, American English, from major (n.) in sense of "subject of specialization" (1890). Related: Majored; majoring. Earlier as a verb, in Scottish, "to prance about, or walk backwards and forwards with a military air and step" [Jamieson, 1825].

1. The seven major industrial countries will have their yearly meeting in London.

7个主要工业国家将在伦敦举行一年一度的会议。

2. He said the issue was not a major irritant.

他说那个问题不是什么大问题。

3. The rail strike is causing major disruptions at the country's ports.

铁路罢工使该国港口陷入了一片混乱。

4. The UN would play a major role in monitoring a ceasefire.

联合国在监督停火方面会发挥重要作用。

5. His pitching was a legend among major league hitters.

他的投球在大联盟的击球员中是个传奇。

【principal, leading, primary, foremost, capital, major, chief, main】
这组词都有“首要的，主要的”的意思，其区别是：
principal: 用于人时，指地位优于其他人；用于物时，指该物在大小、重要性等方面优于他物。
leading: 侧重指具有影响力或凝聚力。从而有主导和引导的作用。
primary: 通常不用于人。用于物时，指在重要性方面占第一位。
foremost: 侧重指在行进或发展过程中居首位。
capital: 着重指因重要性、意义、优越或重大而名列同类之首。
major: 指同其他人或其它物、问题等相比较，显得更加重要和突出。
chief: 拽人时，表同类中职位最高，权力最大；指物时，表同类中最重要，价值最高。
main: 通常只用于物。指在一定范围内，某物的重要性、体积或力量等超过其它物。