major

   In Britain the title of an army officer of middle rank. In the USA also an air force and marine corps title. In original military use it was a suffix, part of the rank indicated by ‘sergeant-major’, previously a much higher rank than now. It had the general meaning of ‘senior’, as it does in certain British boys’ schools where two brothers who are in attendance simultaneously may be distinguished as Smith major and Smith minor. ‘Major’ should only be claimed as a title by someone who holds, or previously held, the military rank, but at one time it was appropriated by many who were not entitled to it. As a writer in the Southern Literary Messenger (1852) put it: ‘Every man who comes from Georgia is a major.’ Sinclair Lewis commented on this phenomenon in Babbitt.

   ‘Your Father was taking us to church and a man stopped us and said “Major” - so many of the neighbours used to call your Father “Major”; of course he was only a private in The War, but everybody knew that was because of the jealousy of his captain and he ought to have been a highranking officer.’ Lewis continues:

   ‘Well, the man - Captain Smith they used to call him, and heaven only knows why, because he hadn’t the shadow or vestige of a right to be called “Captain” or any other title - this Captain Smith said, “We’ll make it hot for you if you don’t stick by your friends, Major.”’

   See also colonel, yet another military title that was formerly misused. Lewis gives another indication of the common use of Major in his Main Street, where he remaiks that ‘everybody called him Major, but that was presently shortened to Maje…’