maior

Maior is a term with Latin origin that appears in several languages and in different grammatical roles. In Latin, maior is the comparative form of magnus, meaning “greater,” “larger,” or “older,” and is used to compare two or more things or people. The form is inflected for gender and number within classical Latin syntax.

In Portuguese, maior is the standard comparative adjective of grande and is used to express greater size or greater age. It often functions as an adjective modifying a noun, with the masculine and feminine singular forms identical: maior; the plural is maiores. Examples: “Este livro é maior que aquele” and “Ele é o maior de todos.” The word also forms common terms such as maioridade (the age of majority).

The word serves as a linguistic ancestor of English major and of several Romance-language words such as Italian maggiore or French majeur. In English contexts, maior appears mainly in linguistic, historical, or legal discussions or in proper names.

Overall, maior connects concepts of size, importance, and age, illustrating how a single form traces back to Latin magnus and migrated into modern Romance languages with related meanings.