Wordul · all words

adjective · 2 syllables · /'maɪ.nər/

MINOR

What does "MINOR" mean?

Lesser in size, importance, or seriousness; also a person under the legal age of adulthood.

Meanings

  1. Smaller, lesser, or less important compared with others. It was only a minor injury.
  2. A person below the legal age of full responsibility, usually 18. The bar refuses to serve minors.
  3. A secondary subject of academic study, alongside one's major. She majored in biology with a minor in art.
  4. Relating to a musical scale or key with a characteristic somber or sad quality. The song shifts into a minor key for the chorus. technical

Did you know?

  • The whole emotional gulf between a 'happy' major chord and a 'sad' minor one comes down to a single note shifted by one semitone - one of the smallest moves in music carries one of its biggest feelings.

Word origin

From Latin 'minor' (smaller, lesser), the comparative of 'parvus' (small); related to 'minus' and 'minister', and unrelated to the identical-sounding 'miner'.

Remember it

MINOR has an O for 'only a little'; MINER has an E for the Earth he digs. Same sound, different letter.

A little poem

One note slid down, a half-step, soft and low-
and the whole bright song put on a coat of snow.

couplet

Wordplay

  • The chord went to the doctor feeling blue. Diagnosis: a minor issue - it was just half a step off.

What it teaches

The smallest shift, made at the right place, changes everything that follows.

Quick facts

What does MINOR mean?

Lesser in size, importance, or seriousness; also a person under the legal age of adulthood.

Is MINOR a valid word?

Yes — MINOR is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is MINOR?

MINOR has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does MINOR come from?

From Latin 'minor' (smaller, lesser), the comparative of 'parvus' (small); related to 'minus' and 'minister', and unrelated to the identical-sounding 'miner'.

What can MINOR teach us?

The smallest shift, made at the right place, changes everything that follows.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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