Minor

A minor is someone who is not yet an adult and, in a larger sense, it is something that is less than something else. For example, the teres minor muscle is smaller than the teres major muscle. In anatomy, wherever there is a minor, there is also a major. Minor also enters into the idea of a "locus minoris resistentiae", Latin meaning a place of less resistance. A locus minoris resistentiae offers little resistance to microorganisms. A damaged heart valve acts as a locus minoris resistentiae, a place where any bacteria in the bloodstream tend to settle. The concept of a locus minoris resistentiae is an old but still valid one.

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Smaller; lesser; denoting the smaller of two similar structures. [L.]

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mi·nor 'mī-nər adj not serious or involving risk to life <\minor illness> <a \minor operation> compare MAJOR

minor n a person of either sex under the age of legal qualification for adult rights and responsibilities that has traditionally been 21 in the U.S. but is now 18 in many states or sometimes less under certain circumstances (as marriage or pregnancy)

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mi·nor (miґnər) insignificant; small or least in scope, effect, number, size, extent, or importance.