majority (redirected from majorities)

ma·jor·i·ty  (m-jôr-t, -jr-)

n. pl. ma·jor·i·ties

1. The greater number or part; a number more than half of the total.

2. The amount by which the greater number of votes cast, as in an election, exceeds the total number of remaining votes.

3. The political party, group, or faction having the most power by virtue of its larger representation or electoral strength.

4. Law The status of having reached full legal age, with attendant rights and responsibilities.

5. The military rank, commission, or office of a major.

6. Obsolete The fact or state of being greater; superiority.

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[French majorité, from Medieval Latin mirits, from Latin mior, greater; see meg- in Indo-European roots.]

Usage Note: When majority refers to a particular number of votes, it takes a singular verb: Her majority was five votes. His majority has been growing by 5 percent every year. When it refers to a group of persons or things that are in the majority, it may take either a singular or plural verb, depending on whether the group is considered as a whole or as a set of people considered individually. So we say The majority elects (not elect) the candidate it wants (not they want), since the election is accomplished by the group as a whole; but The majority of the voters live (not lives) in the city, since living in the city is something that each voter does individually.·Majority is often preceded by great (but not by greater) in expressing emphatically the sense of "most of": The great majority approved. The phrase greater majority is appropriate only when considering two majorities: He won by a greater majority in this election than in the last.

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majority

Noun

pl -ties

1. the greater number or part of something

2. (in an election) the number of votes or seats by which the strongest party or candidate beats the combined opposition or the runner-up

3. the largest party or group that votes together in a meeting, council or parliament

4. the age at which a person legally becomes an adult

5. in the majority forming or part of the group of people or things made up of more than half of a larger group [Medieval Latin majoritas]

USAGE: The majority of can only refer to a number of things or people. When talking about an amount, most of should beused: most of (not the majority of) the harvest was saved.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	majority - the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part; "the majority of his customers prefer it"; "the bulk of the work is finished" bulk number, figure - the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals; "he had a number of chores to do"; "the number of parameters is small"; "the figure was about a thousand" minority - being or relating to the smaller in number of two parts; "when the vote was taken they were in the minority"; "he held a minority position"
	2.	majority - (elections) more than half of the votes absolute majority election - a vote to select the winner of a position or political office; "the results of the election will be announced tonight" relative quantity - a quantity relative to some purpose
	3.	majority - the age at which persons are considered competent to manage their own affairs legal age eld, age - a time of life (usually defined in years) at which some particular qualification or power arises; "she was now of school age"; "tall for his eld" adulthood, maturity - the period of time in your life after your physical growth has stopped and you are fully developed nonage, minority - any age prior to the legal age

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majority

noun 1. most, more, mass, bulk, best part, better part, lion's share, preponderance, plurality, greater number

noun 2. adulthood, maturity, age of consent, seniority, manhood or womanhood

USAGE The majority of should always refer to a countable number of things or people. If you are talking about an amount or quantity, rather than a countable number, use most of, as in most of the harvest was saved (not the majority of the harvest was saved).

Translations

majority [məˈdʒɔrɪtɪ] n → mayoría

cpd [verdict] → mayoritario

majority [məˈdʒɔrɪtɪ] n → majorité f

cpd [verdict, holding] → majoritaire

majority [məˈdʒɔrɪtɪ] major n → Mehrheit f

cpd (verdict, holding) → Mehrheits-

majority [məˈdʒɔrɪtɪ] n → maggioranza

cpd [verdict] → maggioritario/a