It's derived from the combination of:
* "minor": meaning "smaller" or "lesser"
* "-ity": a suffix indicating "state of being"
Therefore, "minority" literally means "the state of being smaller" or "the state of being fewer in number".
While the term has a neutral origin, its usage in modern language often carries a connotation of social, political, or economic disadvantage, especially when referring to groups that are smaller in number than the dominant group in a society.