Meanings
nounmajor general (plural major generals)
plural major generals · alternative major-general · alternative Major General · alternative Maj. Gen. · alternative abbreviation nominal maj. gen.
- A military officer in the armies of most nations, typically ranking below a lieutenant general and above a brigadier.
In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy-- [...] You'll say a better major-general has never sat agee.
1879, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan, composer, “I am the very pattern of a modern Major-General”, in The Pirates of Penzance […], Philadelphia: J.M. Stoddart & Co., published 1880, →OCLC, page 17
Translations
Afrikaans majoor generaal
- majoor generaala military officer
Arabic لواء
- لواءa military officer
Chinese Mandarin 少將 /少将
- 少將 /少将 (shàojiàng)a military officer
Czech generálmajor
- generálmajora military officer
Danish generalmajor
- generalmajora military officer
Estonian kindralmajor
- kindralmajora military officer
Finnish kenraalimajuri
- kenraalimajuria military officer
French général de division, major-général
- général de divisiona military officer
- major-générala military officer
- général-majora military officer
German Generalmajor, Generalmajorin
- Generalmajora military officer
- Generalmajorina military officer
Greek υποστράτηγος, υποπτέραρχος
- υποστράτηγος (ypostrátigos)a military officer
- υποπτέραρχος (ypoptérarchos)a military officer
Hebrew אַלּוּף
- אַלּוּף (alúf)a military officer
Hungarian vezérőrnagy, generálmajor
- vezérőrnagya military officer
- generálmajora military officer
Indonesian mayor jenderal
- mayor jenderala military officer
Japanese 少将, 陸将補
- 少将a military officer
- 陸将補 (in JGSDF)a military officer
Korean 소장
- 소장 (sojang)a military officer
Malay mejar jeneral
- mejar jenerala military officer
Polish generał major
- generał majora military officer
Romanian general-maior
- general-maiora military officer
Russian генера́л-майо́р
- генера́л-майо́р (generál-majór)a military officer
Swahili meja jenerali
- meja jeneralia military officer
Swedish generalmajor
- generalmajora military officer
Turkish tümgeneral
- tümgenerala military officer
Cite this entry
APA
major general. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/major%20general
MLA
“major general.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/major%20general. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “major general,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/major%20general.
Source: major general on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.