muslim-majority
UK[ˈmʊzlɪm məˌdʒɒrəti]US[ˈmʊzlɪm məˌdʒɔːrəti]
adj
(of a country, region, or group) having a population in which Muslims form more than half of the total.
Morpheme Breakdown
muslim
majority
muslim
religious group
majority
greater part
Etymology
The compound adjective "Muslim-majority" is a modern English formation, constructed by directly combining the noun "Muslim" with the noun "majority." The term "Muslim" originates from the Arabic verbal noun 'muslim', meaning "one who submits (to God)," derived from the root 's-l-m' associated with peace and submission. "Majority" entered English via French from Medieval Latin 'majoritas', itself from the Latin comparative adjective 'major' (greater). The compound logically and transparently denotes a demographic condition where the greater part of a population adheres to Islam, reflecting a 20th-century geopolitical and sociological categorization.
Analysis
Structure: muslim (religious group) + majority (greater part)
- muslim: From Arabic 'muslim' (one who submits to God). A noun used attributively here to specify the religious group.
- majority: From Medieval Latin 'majoritas' (greater part), from Latin 'major' (greater). A noun forming the second element of this compound adjective.
Examples
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
The policy was designed to address the needs of Muslim-majority neighborhoods.
Several Muslim-majority nations signed the trade agreement.