minor

An infant or person who is under the age of legal competence. A term derived from the Civil Law, which described a person under a certain age as less than so many years. In most states, a person is no longer a minor after reaching the age of 18 (though state laws might still prohibit certain acts until reaching a greater age; e.g., purchase of liquor). Also, less; of less consideration; lower; a person of inferior condition.

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minor n. someone under legal age, which is generally 18, except for certain purposes such as drinking alcoholic beverages. (See: legal age, maturity)

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minor adjective accessory, cursory, dispensable, futile, immaterial, inappreciable, inconsiderable, ineffectual, inessential, inferior, insubstantial, irrelevant, junior, less important, lesser, little, low-level, lower, meaningless, mere, minimal, minute, modest, negligible, nonessential, not vital, not worth mentioning, nugatory, obscure, of no account, of second rank, paltry, peripheral, petty, picayune, scant, slight, small, smaller, subaltern, subordinate, superficial, trifling, trivial, unessential, unimportant, uninfluential, unnecessary, unnoteworthy, unnoticeable
Associated concepts: minor breach, minor defect, minor dissute, minor subdivision

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minor noun adolescent, baby, child, dependent, fillus familias, individual under age, individual under the age of majority, infant, junior, juvenile, one not legally compeeent, person under legal age, person under 18 years of age, person who is not of full age, pubescent, teenager, underrge person, ward, young person, youngling, youngster, youth
Associated concepts: emancipation of a minor, minor deeendent, unemancipated minor
Foreign phrases: Minor minorem custodire non debet, alios enim praesumitur male regere qui seipsum regere nescit.A minor ought not to be guardian to a minor, for a person who knows not how to govern himself is presumed to be unfit to govern others. Meliorem conditionem suam facere potest minor, deteriorem nequaquam. A minor can make his own condition better, but by no means worse. Succurritur minori; facilis est lapsus juventutis. A minor is to be favored; youth errs easily. Minor non tenetur reepondere durante minori aetati, nisi, in causa dotis, propter favorem. A minor is not held responsible during his minority, unless, by reason of favor, in the matter of dower.

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See also: adolescent, child, collateral, dependent, frivolous, immaterial, inappreciable, incidental, inconsequential, inconsiderable, infant, inferior, insignificant, juvenile, minimal, negligible, nonessential, null, petty, secondary, slight, subaltern, subordinate, unessential

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MINOR, persons. One under the age of twenty-one years, while in a state of infancy; one who has not attained the age of a major. The terms major and minor, are more particularly used in the civil law. The common law terms are adult and infant. See Infant.