Maggiores

Maggiores is a term that appears in several Romance-language contexts, most often as a plural form related to the adjective maggiore, meaning greater or major. In Italian, maggiori is used to describe things that are larger, more important, or of higher rank, and it occurs in phrases such as scale maggiori (major scales) or popolazione maggiore (larger population). The form can also function as the plural noun when referring to a group that is older or senior, as in i maggiori, meaning the elders or elder members of a family or community.

In Latin, the corresponding term is maiores, the standard plural of magnus (greater) and of maior (elder, older, former). Maiores is common in classical texts to indicate ancestors, elders, or people of a higher rank, and it often appears in phrases like maiores nostri meaning our ancestors or elders.

In musical terminology, maggiori is encountered in Italian to indicate major tonalities or modes, particularly in combinations such as scale maggiori or tonalità maggiore, where it designates contrasts with minor (minori) keys or chords. In this usage, the term is not a proper noun but a descriptive adjective.

As a proper noun or surname, Maggiores or similar variants may appear in historical records or local toponymy in regions influenced by Italian or Romance languages. Such uses are context-dependent and not widely standardized, so identification usually requires corroborating information from accompanying names, dates, or places.

Overall, Maggiores functions primarily as a linguistic variant tied to greater or major distinctions, with plural or plural-adjective applications, rather than as a single, standalone subject with a fixed encyclopedic identity.