minor mode

noun

, Music.

1. a scale or key in which the third degree is a minor third above the tonic.

minor mode

noun

1. music any arrangement of notes present in or characteristic of a minor scale or key

Word History and Origins

Origin of minor mode¹

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

Four months ago, regulators proposed rules that would require a “minor mode” on mobile devices to cap screen time and restrict the content for schoolchildren.

From New York Times

The country’s internet regulator this week proposed regulations that if adopted as written would require smartphones, apps and app stores to build a “minor mode” into their products.

From New York Times

The CAC's proposal requires industry players including mobile phone device makers, apps and app stores to develop a function called "minor mode" to set usage limits - which vary by age.

From BBC

The Irish band Lankum amplifies the bleakest tidings of Celtic traditional songs, leaning into minor modes and unswerving drones, harnessing traditional instruments and studio technology.

From New York Times

"Monkeypox can be biologically transmitted through respiratory droplets, but is that what's driving the spread? Or is it a minor mode of transmission or is that a major mode of transmission?"

From Salon