minority

US /maɪˈnoɹ.ɪ.ti/ UK /maɪˈnɒɹ.ɪ.ti/ See IPA manual

Freq #11337

Meanings

1

noun
The smaller part of a group; less than half.

Only a small minority voted against the proposal.
2

noun
A group of people who differ from most others in a society by race, religion, or culture.

The town is home to several ethnic minorities.
3

adj
Relating to or belonging to a minority.

They hold only a minority interest in the company.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms minorities

Derived forms antiminoritymajority-minorityminoritarianminoritaryminoritizeminorityhoodnonminoritysubminoritysuperminority

Related forms minor quantifier

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

ethnic minority
a group whose cultural or ancestral background differs from that of the larger population

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Late Middle English minoritie, from Middle French minorité, and its source Late Latin minōritās, from Latin minor. Morphologically minor + -ity.

minoritie Middle English minorité Middle French minōritās la-lat minor Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Social Issues & Human Rights

External links

# minority

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /maɪˈnoɹ.ɪ.ti/
**IPA (UK):** /maɪˈnɒɹ.ɪ.ti/
**Frequency rank:** 11337

## Meanings
1. The smaller part of a group; less than half.
2. A group of people who differ from most others in a society by race, religion, or culture.
3. Relating to or belonging to a minority.

## Examples
- Only a small minority voted against the proposal.
- The town is home to several ethnic minorities.
- They hold only a minority interest in the company.

## Derived Forms
- antiminority
- majority-minority
- minoritarian
- minoritary
- minoritize
- minorityhood
- nonminority
- subminority
- superminority

## Related Forms
- minor
- quantifier

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: minoritie
- Root: minorité
- Root: minōritās
- Root: minor

## Etymology
From Late Middle English minoritie, from Middle French minorité, and its source Late Latin minōritās, from Latin minor. Morphologically minor + -ity.

## AI Etymology
Minority comes from Late Middle English minoritie, from Middle French minorité, and its source Late Latin minōritās, from Latin minor. Morphologically minor + -ity. In present-day English its meanings include the smaller part of a group; less than half, a group of people who differ from most others in a society by race, religion, or culture, and relating to or belonging to a minority. The historical chain runs through minoritie (Middle English), minorité (Middle French), minōritās (Late Latin), and minor (Latin). Related and derived forms include minor, quantifier, antiminority, and majority-minority.

## Topics
- Social Issues & Human Rights

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