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"majority" in seven languages

Meaningmajority

Spanish

mayoría

/maʝoˈɾia/

fem.inherited

Built in Spanish on mayor 'greater'.

French

majorité

/maʒɔʁite/

fem.learned

Also 'legal age': atteindre la majorité.

Italian

maggioranza

/maddʒoˈrantsa/

fem.inherited

Built in Italian on maggiore 'greater'.

Portuguese

maioria

/majoˈɾiɐ/

fem.inherited

Romanian

majoritate

/maʒoriˈtate/

fem.borrowed · French majorité

Catalan

majoria

/məʒuˈɾiə/

fem.inherited

English

majority

/məˈdʒɔɹəti/

from Latin/French · Middle French majorité (Medieval Latin MAIŌRITĀS)

English → ItalianmajoritymaggioranzaCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

MAIŌREM‘greater, older (comparative of MAGNUS)’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Spanish and Italian built the noun on their inherited mayor and maggiore, where Latin I between vowels became y and ggi. French took majorité ready-made from Medieval Latin, and English borrowed it.

English relatives: major, mayor, majesty

Sound laws at work

Initial I- (J-) and G before E, I

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In a sentence

  • esLa mayoría votó que sí.
  • frLa majorité a voté oui.
  • itLa maggioranza ha votato sì.
  • ptA maioria votou sim.
  • roMajoritatea a votat da.
  • caLa majoria va votar que sí.
  • enThe majority voted yes.

More in Ideas

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