"To the greater glory of God. Used especially as a dedicatory formula", Mid 17th cent.; earliest use found in John Taylor (1578–1653), poet. From post-classical Latin ad maiorem Dei gloriam, lit. ‘to the greater glory of God’ from classical Latin ad + maiōrem, accusative of maior greater + Deī, genitive of Deus God + glōriam, accusative of glōria.[ad majorem Dei gloriam etymology, ad majorem Dei gloriam origin, 英语词源]