占める
しめる · shimeru · JLPT N3 · verb-ichidan
to take up
🥧 shimeru: she-MAY-rule the biggest share, so she takes up most of it
占 means occupy, as in 占領 (senryou, occupation) and 独占 (dokusen, monopoly). 占める states what share something holds: 過半数を占める = to account for a majority. Same sound as 閉める (to close), but a different kanji and meaning.
占 — divination 卜 + mouth 口
Originally a pictograph showing a divination crack 卜 above a mouth 口, depicting someone speaking the result of an oracle reading. From this 'declare by divination' sense it broadened to 'occupy, take possession of' (now read zhàn) and 'divine, foretell' (read zhān).