different between minority vs zabbaleen

English

Etymology

From Middle French minorité, and its source Late Latin min?rit?s, from Latin minor.

Morphologically minor +? -ity

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ma??n??.?.ti/, /m??n??.?.ti/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ma??n??.?.ti/, /m??n??.?.ti/
• (NYC) IPA^(key): /ma??n??.?.ti/, /m??n??.?.ti/
• Rhymes: -???ti

Noun

minority (countable and uncountable, plural minorities)

1. The state of being a minor; youth, the period of a person's life prior to reaching adulthood. [from 15th c.]
   • 2011, Norman Davies, Vanished Kingdoms, Penguin 2012, p. 117:

     She also played a key role as dowager-regent during the minority of her son.

   Synonym: childhood

   Antonym: adulthood

2. Any subgroup that does not form a numerical majority. [from 18th c.]
   • 2017 August 25, "Arrest threat as Yingluck Shinawatra misses verdict", in aljazeera.com, Al Jazeera

     The case is the latest chapter in a decade-long struggle by the nation's elite minority to crush the powerful political machine founded by Yingluck's brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in another coup in 2006.

   Antonym: majority

3. (politics, used attributively of a party, government, etc.) Empowered by or representing a minority (usually a plurality) of votes cast, legislative seats, etc., rather than an outright majority thereof.
4. (US) A member of an ethnic minority. [from 20th c.]

Derived terms

Related terms

• minor

Translations

Adjective

minority (comparative more minority, superlative most minority)

1. Of or relating to a minority.