Not to be confused with
Mayor.
Major is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators, major is one rank above captain in armies and air forces, and one rank below lieutenant colonel. It is considered the most junior of the senior officer ranks.[1]
Etymologically, the word stems from the Latin word major meaning "greater".[2] The rank can be traced back to the rank of sergeant major general, which was shortened to sergeant major, and subsequently shortened to major.[3]
When used in hyphenated or combined fashion, the term can also imply seniority at other levels of rank, including major general, denoting a low-level general officer, and sergeant major, denoting the most senior non-commissioned officer (NCO) of a military unit.[disputed – discuss][citation needed] The term major can also be used with a hyphen to denote the leader of a military band such as in pipe-major or drum-major.
Alphabetically sorted by name of country:
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Majors.
Cipra, Dave (24 May 1985). "A History of Ranks & Titles – Part Five: The Landlubbers". Commandant's Bulletin. 11: 19.
Cipra, Dave (7 June 1985). "A History of Ranks & Titles – Final episode: The Landlubbers". Commandant's Bulletin. 12: 13–16.
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"Epoleţi". army.md (in Romanian). Ministry of Defense. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
"Government Notice" (PDF). Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia. Vol. 4547. 20 August 2010. pp. 99–102. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
"Badges of Rank" (PDF). nzdf.mil.nz. New Zealand Defence Force. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
"Militære grader". forsvaret.no (in Norwegian). Norwegian Armed Forces. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
Cooke, Melinda W. (1990). "Chapter 5: National Security". In Hanratty, Dennis M.; Meditz, Sandra W. (eds.). Paraguay: A Country Study. Area Handbook Series (2nd ed.). Library of Congress. pp. 216–217. LCCN 89600299. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
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"RDF Insignia". mod.gov.rw. Government of the Republic of Rwanda. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
SAINT CHRISTOPHER AND NEVIS DEFENCE FORCE ACT. Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis. 31 December 2009. pp. 110–111.
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"НАКАЗ 20.11.2017 № 606". zakon.rada.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
Hudson, Rex A.; Meditz, Sandra W., eds. (1992). "Chapter 5. National Security". Uruguay: A Country Study (PDF) (2nd ed.). Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. pp. 222–223. ISBN 0-8444-0737-2. Retrieved 13 June 2021.