English
minor
Minor comes from Middle English minor, from Latin minor ‘lesser, smaller’, from Proto-Italic *minōs ‘less’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minōs‘less’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEminor‘lesser’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500minor
- Englishearliest quotation 1447minor
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minōs‘less’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEminor‘lesser’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500minor
- Englishearliest quotation 1447minor
Earliest quotation: 1447, Osbern Bokenham, Legendys of Hooly Wummen: “He... to þe menours ordre went”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘small, little’
mean, community, common, met, commission, communication, mess, meal, communist, mutual, communicate, immune, mere, commit, compromise, ammunition, immunity, missile, communism, municipality, communal, mole, min, communion, dismiss, premise, mural, ammo, mayhem, minus, commune, remuneration, noodle, intermittent, moor, mite, omit, monolith, meiosis, communiqué, 73 more
through Proto-Italic *minuō ‘to lessen, make smaller’
minute, menu, minuet, minutia, 9 more
through Proto-Italic *minōs ‘less’
administration, ministry, 4 more
through Latin minor ‘lesser’
Today it means
adj Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option, particularly
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *minōs / minor