supermajor

English

Etymology

From super- +‎ major.

Pronunciation

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• Rhymes: -eɪdʒə(ɹ)

Adjective

supermajor (not comparable)

1. very major; of great significance or importance.
2. (music) An interval larger in size than a major interval but smaller than the next largest minor interval.

Noun

supermajor (plural supermajors)

1. Any of the world's largest privately owned oil and gas companies.
   • 2008 June 7, Conrad De Aenlle, “Big Oil Is Owed Some Love”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     Mr. Freeman prefers smaller yet still diversified companies with stronger growth profiles than the supermajors, like Apache, which has interests in natural gas as well as oil, and Occidental Petroleum, which produces oil, gas and chemicals.

   • 2014, John R. Heilbrunn, Oil, Democracy, and Development in Africa, page 90:

     International oil companies operating in Africa range from the supermajors to majors, the still smaller independents, and finally the lean frontier specialists that operate in emerging producers.

2. A very large soldier ant, bigger than a major.

   Synonym: supersoldier