supermajor
n.— «Only 10 years after “supermajor” entered the oil industry’s lexicon, the term is already showing its age. At the end of 2000, once the oil industry’s mega-mergers were completed, the combined market capitalisation of ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell and BP was about $700bn—nearly two-thirds of the global sector’s total. These days, the supermajors represent just 23 per cent.» —“Oil ’supermajors’ 10 years on” Financial Times (United Kingdom) Jan. 9, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece of legislation. Plus, the language of yoga teachers: When doing a guided meditation, you may hear...