mo d|ern la n|guages N‑PLURAL Modern languages refers to the modern European languages, for example French, German, and Russian, which are studied at school or university. □ …head of modern languages at a London grammar school.
mod|est ◆◇◇ /mɒ d I st/
1 ADJ A modest house or other building is not large or expensive. □ …the modest home of a family who lived off the land. □ A one-night stay in a modest hotel costs around £35.
2 ADJ You use modest to describe something such as an amount, rate, or improvement which is fairly small. □ Swiss unemployment rose to the still modest rate of 0.7%. □ The democratic reforms have been modest. ● mod|est|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ Britain's balance of payments improved modestly last month.
3 ADJ If you say that someone is modest , you approve of them because they do not talk much about their abilities or achievements. [APPROVAL ] □ He's modest, as well as being a great player. ● mod|est|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ 'You really must be very good at what you do.'—'I suppose I am,' Kate said modestly.
4 ADJ You can describe a woman as modest when she avoids doing or wearing anything that might cause men to have sexual feelings towards her. You can also describe her clothes or behaviour as modest . □ …cultures in which women are supposed to be modest. ● mod|est|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj/adv] □ She sat down, knees modestly together. SYNONYMS modest ADJ 1
homely: Scottish baking is homely, comforting and truly good.
humble: Andy was a humble, courteous and gentle man.
unpretentious: The Tides Inn is both comfortable and unpretentious.
mod|es|ty /mɒ d I sti/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Someone who shows modesty does not talk much about their abilities or achievements. [APPROVAL ] □ His modesty does him credit, for the food he produces speaks for itself.
2 N‑UNCOUNT You can refer to the modesty of something such as a place or amount when it is fairly small. □ [+ of ] The modesty of the town itself comes as something of a surprise.
3 N‑UNCOUNT If someone, especially a woman, shows modesty , they are cautious about the way they dress and behave because they are aware that other people may view them in a sexual way. □ There were shrieks of embarrassment as the girls struggled to protect their modesty.
modi|cum /mɒ d I kəm/ QUANT A modicum of something, especially something that is good or desirable, is a reasonable but not large amount of it. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] I'd like to think I've had a modicum of success. □ [+ of ] …a modicum of privacy.
modi|fi|er /mɒ d I fa I ə r / (modifiers ) N‑COUNT A modifier is a word or group of words that modifies another word or group. In some descriptions of grammar, only words that are used before a noun are called modifiers .
modi|fy /mɒ d I fa I / (modifies , modifying , modified )
1 VERB If you modify something, you change it slightly, usually in order to improve it. □ [V n] The club members did agree to modify their recruitment policy. □ [V -ed] The plane was a modified version of the C-130. ● modi|fi|ca|tion /mɒ d I f I ke I ʃ ə n/ (modifications ) N‑VAR □ Relatively minor modifications were required.
2 VERB A word or group of words that modifies another word describes or classifies something, or restricts the meaning of the word. [TECHNICAL ] □ [V n] It is a rule of English that adjectives generally precede the noun they modify: we say 'a good cry', not 'a cry good'.
mod|ish /moʊ d I ʃ/ ADJ Something that is modish is fashionable. [LITERARY ] □ …a short checklist of much that is modish at the moment. □ …modish young women from London society.
modu|lar /mɒ dʒʊlə r /
1 ADJ In building, modular means relating to the construction of buildings in parts called modules. □ They ended up buying a prebuilt modular home on a two-acre lot.
2 ADJ Modular means relating to the teaching of courses at college or university in units called modules. [BRIT ] □ The course is modular in structure.
modu|late /mɒ dʒʊle I t/ (modulates , modulating , modulated )
1 VERB If you modulate your voice or a sound, you change or vary its loudness, pitch, or tone in order to create a particular effect. [WRITTEN ] □ [V n] He carefully modulated his voice. [Also V ]
2 VERB To modulate an activity or process means to alter it so that it is more suitable for a particular situation. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] These chemicals modulate the effect of potassium. ● modu|la|tion /mɒ dʒʊle I ʃ ə n/ (modulations ) N‑VAR □ [+ of ] The famine turned the normal modulation of climate into disaster.
mod|ule /mɒ dʒuːl/ (modules )
1 N‑COUNT A module is one of the separate parts of a course taught at a college or university. [BRIT ] □ These courses cover a twelve-week period and are organised into three four-week modules.
2 N‑COUNT A module is a part of a spacecraft which can operate by itself, often away from the rest of the spacecraft. □ A rescue plan could be achieved by sending an unmanned module to the space station.
mo|dus op|eran|di /moʊ dəs ɒpəræ ndiː, -da I / N‑SING A modus operandi is a particular way of doing something. [FORMAL ] □ An example of her modus operandi was provided during a terse exchange with the defendant.
mo|dus vi|ven|di /moʊ dəs v I ve ndiː, -da I / N‑SING A modus vivendi is an arrangement which allows people who have different attitudes to live or work together. [FORMAL ] □ After 1940, a modus vivendi between church and state was achieved.