What's the difference between majority and plurality?

Majority


Definition:

  • (n.) The quality or condition of being major or greater; superiority.
  • (n.) The military rank of a major.
  • (n.) The condition of being of full age, or authorized by law to manage one's own affairs.
  • (n.) The greater number; more than half; as, a majority of mankind; a majority of the votes cast.
  • (n.) Ancestors; ancestry.
  • (n.) The amount or number by which one aggregate exceeds all other aggregates with which it is contrasted; especially, the number by which the votes for a successful candidate exceed those for all other candidates; as, he is elected by a majority of five hundred votes. See Plurality.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) In contrast, resting cells of strain CHA750 produced five times less IAA in a buffer (pH 6.0) containing 1 mM-L-tryptophan than did resting cells of the wild-type, illustrating the major contribution of TSO to IAA synthesis under these conditions.
  • (2) With NaCl as the major constituent of the bathing solution (potassium-free pipette and external solutions) the reversal potential (Er) of the noradrenaline-evoked current was about 0 mV.
  • (3) After 4 to 6 hours of recirculation, accumulation of vasoactive amine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, its major metabolite, 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid, and its precursor amino acid, tryptophan were detected.
  • (4) The major treatable risk factors in thromboembolic stroke are hypertension and transient ischemic attacks (TIA).
  • (5) The promoters of the adenovirus 2 major late gene, the mouse beta-globin gene, the mouse immunoglobulin VH gene and the LTR of the human T-lymphotropic retrovirus type I were tested for their transcription activities in cell-free extracts of four cell lines; HeLa, CESS (Epstein-Barr virus-transformed human B cell line), MT-1 (HTLV-I-infected human T cell line without viral protein synthesis), and MT-2 (HTLV-I-infected human T cell line producing viral proteins).
  • (6) The data suggest that major differences may exist between ruminants and non-ruminants in the response of liver metabolism both to lactation per se and to the effects of growth hormone and insulin.
  • (7) Then a handful of organisers took a major bet on the power of people – calling for the largest climate change mobilisation in history to kick-start political momentum.
  • (8) This finding is of major importance for persons treated with diltiazem who engage in sport.
  • (9) Blatter requires a two-thirds majority of the 209 voters to triumph in the opening round, with a simple majority required if it goes to a second round.
  • (10) Further analysis with two other synthetic peptides (212Cys to 222Glu and Cys X 221Ile to 236Glu) indicated that the dodecapeptide Ile-Glu-Phe-Gln-Lys-Asn-Asn-Arg-Leu-Leu-Glu mimicked either the whole or a major part of the neutralization epitope.
  • (11) Inadequate treatment, caused by a lack of drugs and poorly trained medical attendants, is also a major problem.
  • (12) Even so, amputation of fifteen extremities and four other major excisions were required in twelve patients.
  • (13) In this study, standby and prophylactic patients had comparable success and major complication rates, but procedural morbidity was more frequent in prophylactic patients.
  • (14) These major departmental transformations are being run in isolation from each other.
  • (15) Epidemiological studies on low risks involve a number of major methodological difficulties.
  • (16) Given Australia’s number one position as the worst carbon emitter per capita among major western nations it seems hardly surprising that islanders from Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu and other small island developing states have been turning to Australia with growing exasperation demanding the country demonstrate an appropriate response and responsibility.
  • (17) The time-course and dose-response for this modification of pp60c-src paralleled PDGF-induced increases in phosphorylation of pp36, a major cellular substrate for several tyrosine-specific protein kinases.
  • (18) The degree of increase in Meth responsiveness elicited by the initial provocation is a major factor in determining the airway response to a subsequent HS challenge.
  • (19) On the other hand, the majority of gynecologic patients with pelvic infections are young and healthy.
  • (20) Confidence is the major prerequisite for a doctor to be able to help his seriously ill patient.

Plurality


Definition:

  • (n.) The state of being plural, or consisting of more than one; a number consisting of two or more of the same kind; as, a plurality of worlds; the plurality of a verb.
  • (n.) The greater number; a majority; also, the greatest of several numbers; in elections, the excess of the votes given for one candidate over those given for another, or for any other, candidate. When there are more than two candidates, the one who receives the plurality of votes may have less than a majority. See Majority.
  • (n.) See Plurality of benefices, below.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Thus it is unclear how a language learner determines whether German even has a regular plural, and if so what form it takes.
  • (2) Discussion deals with the plurality, specificity, variability, perceived necessity, sufficiency, international utility and career significance of British postgraduate qualifications.
  • (3) A lawyer advising one of the newspaper groups opposing the deal said: "All the regulator has to prove is that there is a potential for a reduction in plurality in the UK.
  • (4) The BBC should not be forced to close any channels or axe any programmes as part of any review of plurality and ownership in the media industry, according to a submission the broadcaster has filed with media regulator Ofcom .
  • (5) How are medical roles adapted to the situation of medical pluralism and the predicaments that flow from such a situation.
  • (6) Plural HCV-J genomes were found in two of the cDNAs derived from liver specimens, and a deletion of 102 nucleotides was found in the cDNA derived from one plasma specimen.
  • (7) The Conservative peer and chancellor of the University of Oxford took the view – rightly – two decades ago that Hong Kong’s prosperity was underpinned by a free and plural society.
  • (8) "I find it quite curious that it's Mark Thompson who is leading the charge about News Corp's plurality when the BBC always put their hands up and say we're impartial.
  • (9) Starting of from the notion that medicine presents a plurality of aims, it is proposed that it should be conceived as a "science of actions" rather than as a "science of objects".
  • (10) Of particular importance in shaping public policy are four factors: (1) the American character, including ideas and attitudes that are the basis of politics and policy; (2) the pluralism that characterizes the process, including the relationship between government and the private sector and the dominant role of the private sector; (3) the federal system that distributes authority among various levels of government (federalism); and (4) incrementalism, which is the step-by-step process that characterizes the development of policies.
  • (11) These observations indicate a plurality of sites of action of GAL on digestive tract motility including local duodenal receptors and suggest the importance of a spinal component in the control of motility by GAL when given intrathecally.
  • (12) "Well I think Christopher [Pyne] said schools would get the same amount of money, and schools – plural – will get the same amount of money.
  • (13) The National Infant Mortality Surveillance (NIMS) project aggregated data provided by 53 vital statistics reporting areas--50 States, New York City, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico (subsequently called States)--from their files of linked birth and death certificates and compared individual States' total infant mortality experiences for the 1980 birth cohort by age at death, race, birth weight, and plurality.
  • (14) A case of presumed psychosis in a 16-year-old Taiwanese girl is examined to show the role of performance in creating meaning in a plural medical system.
  • (15) On the evidence available, I consider that it may be the case that the merger may operate against the public interest in media plurality," Hunt said.
  • (16) Mr Cable can now prove his faith in competition by referring the Sky bid on the grounds of the effect it would have on media plurality.
  • (17) The regulators have confirmed that the proposed undertakings are still sufficient to ensure media plurality," Hunt said.
  • (18) They merely want a genuinely plural political system and fair elections.
  • (19) The NRA has not won the argument – only a tiny percentage believe, like the NRA, that controls are too strict and a plurality want to make them stricter – but they do keep on winning the votes.
  • (20) The use of singular and plural first-person pronouns provided a measure of individuality and mutuality in families of 18 field-dependent and 20 field-independent children (19 boys and 19 girls).