semimajor

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adjective

Of or pertaining to the semimajor axis, the long axis of an ellipse

“a semimajor radius”

OriginEnglish major ← Middle English major ← Latin maior →
UncommonScrabble 20
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Meanings

adjectivesemimajor (not comparable)

alternative semi-major

  1. not comparablegeometryOf or pertaining to the semimajor axis, the long axis of an ellipse

    a semimajor radius

  2. not comparableLess than major, but still significant

    He waited by court sixteen, a semimajor court. It had the most seating next to the Stadium and Grandstand, though less than most high school gyms.

    1997, Harlan Coben, Drop Shot, page 291

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sem-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*sēmi
  3. Latinsēmi-
  4. Englishsemi-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*méǵh₂s
  6. Proto-Indo-European*méǵyōs
  7. Proto-Italic*majjōs
  8. Latinmaior
  9. Middle Englishmajor
  10. Englishmajor
  11. Englishsemimajor

From semi- + major.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

semimajor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semimajor

MLA

“semimajor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semimajor. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “semimajor,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semimajor.

Source: semimajor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.