majeur

MaJuER is a French term with several related senses. It is primarily an adjective meaning “adult” or “of legal age,” and “major” in the sense of greater in size, quantity, or importance. As a noun, it can refer to an adult person: un majeur. The feminine form is majeure; the plural forms are majeurs and majeures.

In legal terms, être majeur means having reached the age of majority, which grants full civil capacity to manage one’s own affairs. In France, this age is 18. The concept is contrasted with mineur, meaning a minor. The age of majority and related rules vary by country, but the general idea remains the same: a majeur is someone who can be held fully responsible under the law.

In music, majeur describes major quality, as in tonalité majeure (major key) or accord majeur (major chord), opposed to mineur. In broader usage, majeur can signal importance or prominence, as in une découverte majeure or un enjeu majeur.

Etymology links the French term to Latin major via Old French; the feminine form majeure reflects standard gender agreement in French morphology.

Overall, majeur is a versatile term used to describe adulthood, musical quality, or the relative importance of a matter, with gendered forms to match the nouns they modify.