Minor term of a syllogism
(gcide) | minor \mi"nor\ (m[imac]"n[~e]r), a. [L., a comparative with no
positive; akin to AS. min small, G. minder less, OHG.
minniro, a., min, adv., Icel. minni, a., minnr, adv., Goth.
minniza, a., mins, adv., Ir. & Gael. min small, tender, L.
minuere to lessen, Gr. miny`qein, Skr. mi to damage. Cf.
Minish, Minister, Minus, Minute.]
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1. Inferior in bulk, degree, importance, etc.; less; smaller;
of little account; as, minor divisions of a body.
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2. (Mus.) Less by a semitone in interval or difference of
pitch; as, a minor third.
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Asia Minor (Geog.), the Lesser Asia; that part of Asia
which lies between the Euxine, or Black Sea, on the north,
and the Mediterranean on the south.
Minor mode (Mus.), that mode, or scale, in which the third
and sixth are minor, -- much used for mournful and solemn
subjects.
Minor orders (Eccl.), the rank of persons employed in
ecclesiastical offices who are not in holy orders, as
doorkeepers, acolytes, etc.
Minor scale (Mus.) The form of the minor scale is various.
The strictly correct form has the third and sixth minor,
with a semitone between the seventh and eighth, which
involves an augmented second interval, or three semitones,
between the sixth and seventh, as, 6/F, 7/G[sharp], 8/A.
But, for melodic purposes, both the sixth and the seventh
are sometimes made major in the ascending, and minor in
the descending, scale, thus:
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[1913 Webster] See Major.
Minor term of a syllogism (Logic), the subject of the
conclusion.
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