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major

sergeant major, top of class

noun mah-ZHOR Less Common
People & Society Military

Usage Note

Major in French most often refers to the top graduate of a class or cohort (major de promotion), a distinctly French academic honour. In the military, major is a warrant-officer rank. As an adjective it appears in force majeure and cas majeur. The English sense of 'university major' does not exist in French.

Examples

"Elle est sortie major de sa promotion."

Natural Translation

She graduated top of her class.

Literal Translation

She came out top of her cohort.

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