the.com/major
Outranks the captain, salutes the colonel, and somehow runs the entire show anyway.
means Greater in size, importance, or rank — or, as a noun, a mid-level military officer above captain, the main subject of a student's study, or a musical scale with a bright, settled sound.
from Straight from Latin maior, the comparative of magnus, "great" — literally "greater." The same root branches everywhere: mayor (the town's "greater" official), majesty, majority, and the Spanish mayor. English took the comparative meaning into rank and importance, and the military sense arrived via the older title sergeant-major, where "major" marked the higher of the pair before splitting off on its own.
music theoryMajor keys sound happy; minor ones brood instead
latin rootFrom maior, meaning simply greater or larger
city rankSome places elect a mayor, from the same root
college choiceOne word decides decades of dinner-party small talk
sergeant majorThe rare title where major plays second fiddle