modaladj.¹n.¹

Brit.

/ˈməʊdl/, U.S.

/ˈmoʊd(ə)l/

Forms: 1500s moodal, 1500s–1600s modall, 1500s– modal; also Scottish pre-1700 medalle (transmission error).

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French modal; Latin modalis.

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman modal (14th cent. in legal use of a modification of a writ in sense ‘containing provisos or conditions’) and Middle French, French modal (1546 in logic, 1585 as noun in this sense) and their etymon post-classical Latin modalis (12th cent. in logic sense A. 1, from 13th cent. in British sources in this sense; 13th cent. in a British source in sense A. 2; also as noun in sense ‘modal proposition’ (from 12th cent. in British and continental sources)) < classical Latin modus mode n. + -ālis -al suffix¹. Compare slightly earlier modality n.With modal auxiliary, compare French auxiliaire modal (1932).

A. adj.¹

1. Logic. Of a proposition: involving the affirmation or negation of possibility, impossibility, necessity, or contingency; (more widely) that contains an adverb or adverbial phrase, or in which the predicate is affirmed or denied of the subject with a qualification. Of a syllogism: containing a modal proposition as a premise. Hence: relating to a modality or modal propositions; consisting of or dealing with modal propositions (esp. in modal logic).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical proposition > [adjective] > modal

modal1569

alethic1951

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical syllogism > [adjective] > of types of syllogism

modal1569

hypothetical1588

prosyllogistical1588

contract1605

prosyllogistic1652

monstrative1653

enthymematic1654

epicheirematic1656

hypothetica1680

pure1697

indirect1728

dialectal1767

tollent1770

conjunctivea1856

hypothetico-disjunctivea1856

schematica1856

unfigureda1856

subsumptive1884

episyllogistic1886

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical proposition > [noun] > modal logic or proposition

modal1599

modality1628

modus1629

mode1852

modal logic1932

1569 J. Sanford tr. H. C. Agrippa Of Vanitie Artes & Sci. viii. f. 22^v & of these doo onely approue eight Moodes and laughe at Moodal propositions.

1652 T. Urquhart Εκσκυβαλαυρον 27 The equipollencie and opposition both of plaine and modal enunciations.

1697 tr. F. Burgersdijck Monitio Logica i. xxviii. 113 These Enunciations..are Modal; because they not only denounce the Predicate to agree or disagree with the Subject, but also declare the Manner how they both agree and disagree.

1725 I. Watts Logick ii. ii. §4 The Conversion and Opposition, and Equipollence of these modal Propositions.

1774 T. Reid Brief Acct. Aristotle's Logic iv. §6, in Ld. Kames Sketches Hist. Man II. iii. 214 In a modal proposition, the affirmation or negation is modified.

1827 R. Whately Elements Logic (ed. 2) iii. ii. 106 A Modal Proposition may be stated as a pure one, by attaching the Mode to one of the Terms.

1870 W. S. Jevons Elem. Lessons Logic vii. 69 It has long been usual to distinguish propositions as they are pure or modal.

1932 C. I. Lewis & C. H. Langford Symbolic Logic vi. 153 (heading) Consistency and the modal functions.

1943 Mind 52 265 The ideal textbook in mathematical logic would include extensive discussion of the intensional and modal logics.

1957 A. N. Prior Time & Modality 133 There are some modal logicians who feel that statements containing sequences of modal operators like MM, MML,..are one and all ‘meaningless’.

1968 G. E. Hughes & M. J. Cresswell Introd. Modal Logic ii. 25 Because of the non-truth-functionality of modal operators..the initial account does not lead to any obvious formal definition of validity for modal formulae.

1983 Listener 10 Feb. 29/1 A man..has even revived the hoary old Ontological Argument for the existence of God in terms of bang-up-to-date ‘modal logic’.

2. Law. Of a legacy, contract, etc.: containing provisions defining the manner in which it is to take effect. Cf. modus n. 2. Now chiefly historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > legal document > [adjective] > parts of > specific clauses or provisions

conditional1552

modal1590

resolutivea1623

contingent1710

resolutory1818

1590 H. Swinburne Briefe Treat. Test. & Willes iv. f. 135 Excepte the condition be not conditionall but modall, for (conditio) and (modus) doo greatlie differ.

1590 H. Swinburne Briefe Treat. Test. & Willes vii. f. 290 When the legacy is not conditional, but modall.

1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 336 Some think it to be a modal Legacy;..and consequently a Legacy of this kind ought to be paid before the Mode is fulfilled.

1860 J. J. S. Wharton Law-lexicon (ed. 2) Modal legacy, a bequest with a direction as to the mode in which it is to be applied to the legatee's benefit.

1988 D. Johnston Roman Law Trusts 249 This question of chronology makes only one difference, and that is in assessing how long the two separate procedural regimes lasted; how long therefore the use of a trust brought with it a distinct advantage compared with the use of a modal legacy.

3. Music. Of or relating to a musical mode (see mode n. 1); making use of a particular mode or modes, now esp. of one other than the modern major or minor.Rare before the 18th cent.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > system of sounds or intervals > [adjective] > mode

modal1597

1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke Annot. sig. *^v To this day could I neuer see..a Long set for 3. briefes with that signe, except it had either a figure of three, or then [read three] modal rests sette before it.

1772 W. Jones Ess. Imit. Arts in Poems 208 Each of them has a peculiar character, arising from the position of the modal note.

1880 W. S. Rockstro in G. Grove Dict. Music II. 340 The Modal Sign is usually placed after the Clef, like the Time Signature in modern music.

1884 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 80/2 A system of modes..for ecclesiastical music which differed essentially from the Greek modal system in having no notes inflected by sharps or flats.

1903 Westm. Gaz. 27 Nov. 10/2 A great many genuine old ballads, some so old as to be modal in form—that is, pre~existent to the time of the major and minor scale.

1933 Times Lit. Suppl. 2 Mar. 139/1 The gaps in the gapped modes are what gives such modal tunes their decisive character.

1955 New Oxf. Hist. Music (rev. ed.) II. vii. 232 This anonymous song..begins with a slightly modal flavour but settles down into F major.

1990 Classic CD July 90/2 The beautifully economic opening Allegretto is coloured by scrumptious chromatic chords, modal inflections and long languid melodic lines.

4. Chiefly Theology. Of or relating to mode or form, usually as contrasted with substance. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > existence > extrinsicality or externality > [adjective] > relating to mode or form

modal1625

1625 W. Laud Serm. preached at Westm. 18 There must be..a paring off of foolish and vnlearned Questions, yea, and of many Modal too.

1678 T. Gale Court of Gentiles: Pt. IV 6 Moral Bonitie and Vitiositie are differences of human acts merely accidental or modal.

1712 E. Warren (title) An Antidote against Arianism... Wherein the doctrine of the Vital Trinity is set forth as reasonable and most probable; and that of the modal one is made more apparently absurd and spurious.

1782 J. Priestley Hist. Corruptions Christianity I. i. 148 Dr. Wallis thought the distinction..was only modal.

1852 F. W. Robertson Serm. (1876) 4th Ser. xi. 104 A heresy, known in old times by the name of Sabellianism or modal Trinity.

1876 E. Mellor Priesthood iv. 172 To discount from the teaching of Christ the words ‘eat’ and ‘drink’, as modal terms enjoining modal operations..is to relinquish the literal interpretation.

1909 Catholic Encycl. at Eucharist, Real Presence of Christ in As regards the philosophical possibility of the accidents existing without their substance, the older school drew a fine distinction between modal and absolute accidents.

5. Grammar.

a. Of or relating to the mood of a verb. Of a verb or other element: expressing or used to express modality. Esp. in modal auxiliary, modal verb.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > mood > [adjective]

modal1805

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > other parts of speech > [adjective] > other spec.

numerala1398

partitivea1398

gentile1542

indefinitive1598

illative1611

integral1668

collective1751

modal1845

parti-generic1939

1805 J. H. Tooke Επεα Πτεροεντα (ed. 2) II. vii. 467 Our language has made but small progress, compared either with the Greek or with the Latin..even in this Modal and Temporal abbreviation.

1845 W. E. Jelf Gram. Greek Lang. I. §184 The Modal vowel, which signifies the modal relations of the verb, and varies accordingly.

1933 E. H. Grout Standard Eng. v. 122 The modal auxiliaries may, might, can, could, must, ought,..give a cast to the whole sentence in which they are.

1961 R. B. Long Sentence & its Parts vi. 138 A category of modal auxiliaries is often set up for modern English, to include various verbs expressing ideas of possibility, constraint, and desire.

1989 Eng. World-wide 10 262 Modal combinations seem to occur much more often in certain types of personal interaction (e.g., negotiations) than others (e.g., sociolinguistic interviews).

1992 Eng. Today July 32/2 Certain modal verbs are used to express requests and suggestions in business corespondence.

b. Of a particle: denoting manner or modality.

ΚΠ

1880 Expositor 12 289 Those conjunctive and modal particles in which the Greek language is so incomparably rich.

1987 Multilingua 6 306 In spoken German, modal particles are very frequent and important devices to indicate the speaker's intentions and his or her estimation of the situation.

a. Statistics. Of, relating to, or of the nature of a mode; (of a value, etc.) that occurs most frequently in a particular sample or population. Cf. mode n. 13.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > probability or statistics > [adjective] > relating to distribution > of measures of central tendency

median1882

modal1897

multimodal1899

bimodal1903

polymodal1910

unimodal1923

trimodal1927

1897 Proc. Royal Soc. 62 175 Probable error of modal frequency y₀.

1900 K. Pearson Gram. of Sci. (ed. 2) 383 The average value of the character is very frequently taken as determining the type instead of the modal value.

1938 A. E. Waugh Elements Statist. Method iv. 46 In the first place it is necessary to locate the modal class. By this we mean the class which contains the most items.

1954 M. Beresford Lost Villages Eng. ix. 288 In the receipts of 1377 we have only the constables' names to add flesh and blood to the averages, modal ranges and medians of statistical calculations.

1968 Listener 25 July 101/1 The administrators we saw..had averaged only 2·8 years in all their completed jobs in the class; in fact, the modal (most frequently occurring) period in completed jobs was two years.

1987 Brit. Jrnl. Sociol. 38 49 They have been contacted at longer intervals, at ages 32 (modal age 31 years 9 months) and 36.

b. Chiefly Sociology. Representative, typical. modal personality n. a personality type held to be typical of a particular society or group, esp. in possessing the modal characteristics of that population.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > psychology > social psychology > group psychology > [noun] > representative personality

modal personality1944

1944 C. Du Bois People of Alor i. i. 3 Modal personality, then, is the product of the interplay of fundamental, physiologically and neurologically determined tendencies and experiences common to all human beings acted upon by the cultural milieu.

1944 C. Du Bois People of Alor i. i. 5 On such a base line data will show central tendencies that constitute the modal personality for any particular culture.

1948 K. Davis Human Society xv. 427 The modal divorce now occurs in the third year of marriage.

1949 R. K. Merton Social Theory i. 57 The characteristic (modal) pattern for handling a standardized problem.

1956 W. H. Whyte Organization Man (1957) 281 What might be called the modal man, however, is a twenty-five-to-thirty-five-year-old white-collar organization man.

1970 E. McGinnies Social Behavior iii. 70 Linton (1945) has conceived of national character as a modal personality structure, or configuration that appears with considerable frequency in a society.

1970 E. McGinnies Social Behavior iii. 71 Identification of such modal behavior configurations makes it possible to arrive at certain generalizations about any given society and to describe more succinctly the differences between one society and another.

7. Geology. Of or relating to the mode of a rock; as indicated by a mode. Cf. mode n. 5c.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > structure of the earth > constituent materials > rock > mineral or chemical composition > [adjective]

modal1902

heteromorphic1920

1902 W. Cross et al. in Jrnl. Geol. (Chicago) 10 609 A Modal Variety..may be defined as a rock having a mode with a slightly different development of the quite subordinate component minerals.

1938 Nature 17 Sept. 495/2 The second volume includes all the rocks with more than 5 per cent of modal quartz.

1962 A. E. J. Engel & C. G. Engel in A. E. J. Engel et al. Petrologic Stud. 48 The thin sections used for modal analyses of two-pyroxene amphibolites were slightly thicker than is conventional, to accentuate the color difference.

1985 R. Thorpe & G. Brown Field Descr. Igneous Rocks iv. 28 Some of these schemes use the proportions of the minerals observed under the microscope (their modal proportions).

8. Computing. Designating a program, system, or user interface which requires the user to switch between different modes of operation to perform different types of action; spec. designating a dialogue box that must be responded to before a system will permit any other interaction. Cf. modeless adj. 3.

ΚΠ

1985 G. Phillips & D. J. Scellato Apple Macintosh Encycl. 202 A Dialog Box that requires a response from the user prior to going forward with the next step of a command is called a ‘modal dialog box’ in the Macintosh technical manuals.

1992 MacUser Nov. 224/2 The log-in screen is modal and can't be cleared away until you pass the password test.

1996 Linux Jrnl. Dec. 32/1 Figure 2 shows the color selection modeless dialog used with the V Icon Editor. V supports both modal and modeless dialogs with a complete set of controls.

B. n.¹

1. Logic. A modal proposition (see sense A. 1).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical proposition > [noun] > modal logic or proposition

modal1599

modality1628

modus1629

mode1852

modal logic1932

1599 T. Blundeville Art of Logike iii. viii. 67 (heading) Of the opposition of Modals.

1629 A. Richardson Logicians School-master 261 Now they call these modalls.

1654 Z. Coke Art of Logick 108 There is more use of those Modals among the Greeks then the Latines.

1725 I. Watts Logick ii. ii. §4 There is no great need of making modals a distinct sort [sc. of proposition].

1788 T. Reid Aristotle's Logic iv. §6. 89 He thinks that the doctrine of modals ought to be banished out of logic and remitted to grammar.

1827 R. Whately Elements Logic (ed. 2) iii. ii. 108 When a hypothetical Conclusion is inferred from a hypothetical Premiss,..then the hypothesis (as in Modals) must be considered as part of one of the Terms.

1878 S. H. Hodgson Philos. of Refl. I. 368 It has the advantage of exhibiting the derivation of the Modals, as they are called, from the reflective mode of consciousness [etc.].

1955 A. N. Prior Formal Logic iii. i. §1. 188 Modern formalizations of the logic of modals.

2. Grammar. A modal verb (see sense A. 5a).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > verb > [noun] > auxiliary verb > modal

modal1959

1959 Rep. 10th Ann. Meeting Linguistics & Lang. (Georgetown Univ. Inst. Lang.) iv. 112 Parallel rules apply to most of the modals and conjugators.

1965 N. Chomsky Aspects Theory Syntax ii. 63 May is a verbal auxiliary..and..a Modal.

1971 J. Anderson in A. J. Aitken et al. Edinb. Stud. Eng. & Sc. 69 These phenomena are often well documented in grammars purporting to give an account of the modals.

1991 R. M. W. Dixon New Approach to Eng. Gram. vi. 170 Each modal has a fair semantic range.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	modal
释义	modaln.²adj.² Brit. /ˈməʊdl/, U.S. /ˈmoʊd(ə)l/ Origin: Formed within English, by derivation; modelled on a Croatian lexical item. Etymons: modulus n., -al suffix¹. Etymology: < mod- (in modulus n.) + -al suffix¹, after Croatian modal (in the source translated in quot. 1977), designating viscose fabrics with a high wet modulus and hence strength when wet. A type of rayon fibre made mainly from beechwood pulp, used to make clothing and household linen; a fabric made from such a fibre. Occasionally also as adj., designating such fibre.Modal has a high strength when wet. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > [noun] > fibre of staple1481 fibre1827 microfibre1966 modal1977 the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > man-made textiles > [noun] acetyl cellulose1879 artificial silk1879 art silk1885 Chardonnet silk1893 triacetate1895 viscose silk1913 Celanese1921 rayon1924 fibro1926 staple fibre1928 viscose rayon1930 viscose1932 Lanital1936 Tricel1954 polynosic1959 olefin1960 modal1977 1977 Tekstil 26 463 Study of structure and production process of modal cellulose fibres. 1978 Textile Technol. Digest Subj. Index 34 ii. Modal, see high-modulus rayon fibers. 1997 M&S Mag. Spring 56/1 These machine-washable trousers, made from a blend of polyester and modal, are soft to the touch but hardwearing, too. 2009 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 31 Mar. a6/1 Modal fibers are strong, but they also have a soft, silky feel and are often blended with cotton, wool or synthetic fibers. This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022). modaladj.¹n.¹ Brit. /ˈməʊdl/, U.S. /ˈmoʊd(ə)l/ Forms: 1500s moodal, 1500s–1600s modall, 1500s– modal; also Scottish pre-1700 medalle (transmission error). Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French modal; Latin modalis. Etymology: < Anglo-Norman modal (14th cent. in legal use of a modification of a writ in sense ‘containing provisos or conditions’) and Middle French, French modal (1546 in logic, 1585 as noun in this sense) and their etymon post-classical Latin modalis (12th cent. in logic sense A. 1, from 13th cent. in British sources in this sense; 13th cent. in a British source in sense A. 2; also as noun in sense ‘modal proposition’ (from 12th cent. in British and continental sources)) < classical Latin modus mode n. + -ālis -al suffix¹. Compare slightly earlier modality n.With modal auxiliary, compare French auxiliaire modal (1932). A. adj.¹ 1. Logic. Of a proposition: involving the affirmation or negation of possibility, impossibility, necessity, or contingency; (more widely) that contains an adverb or adverbial phrase, or in which the predicate is affirmed or denied of the subject with a qualification. Of a syllogism: containing a modal proposition as a premise. Hence: relating to a modality or modal propositions; consisting of or dealing with modal propositions (esp. in modal logic). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical proposition > [adjective] > modal modal1569 alethic1951 the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical syllogism > [adjective] > of types of syllogism modal1569 hypothetical1588 prosyllogistical1588 contract1605 prosyllogistic1652 monstrative1653 enthymematic1654 epicheirematic1656 hypothetica1680 pure1697 indirect1728 dialectal1767 tollent1770 conjunctivea1856 hypothetico-disjunctivea1856 schematica1856 unfigureda1856 subsumptive1884 episyllogistic1886 the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical proposition > [noun] > modal logic or proposition modal1599 modality1628 modus1629 mode1852 modal logic1932 1569 J. Sanford tr. H. C. Agrippa Of Vanitie Artes & Sci. viii. f. 22^v & of these doo onely approue eight Moodes and laughe at Moodal propositions. 1652 T. Urquhart Εκσκυβαλαυρον 27 The equipollencie and opposition both of plaine and modal enunciations. 1697 tr. F. Burgersdijck Monitio Logica i. xxviii. 113 These Enunciations..are Modal; because they not only denounce the Predicate to agree or disagree with the Subject, but also declare the Manner how they both agree and disagree. 1725 I. Watts Logick ii. ii. §4 The Conversion and Opposition, and Equipollence of these modal Propositions. 1774 T. Reid Brief Acct. Aristotle's Logic iv. §6, in Ld. Kames Sketches Hist. Man II. iii. 214 In a modal proposition, the affirmation or negation is modified. 1827 R. Whately Elements Logic (ed. 2) iii. ii. 106 A Modal Proposition may be stated as a pure one, by attaching the Mode to one of the Terms. 1870 W. S. Jevons Elem. Lessons Logic vii. 69 It has long been usual to distinguish propositions as they are pure or modal. 1932 C. I. Lewis & C. H. Langford Symbolic Logic vi. 153 (heading) Consistency and the modal functions. 1943 Mind 52 265 The ideal textbook in mathematical logic would include extensive discussion of the intensional and modal logics. 1957 A. N. Prior Time & Modality 133 There are some modal logicians who feel that statements containing sequences of modal operators like MM, MML,..are one and all ‘meaningless’. 1968 G. E. Hughes & M. J. Cresswell Introd. Modal Logic ii. 25 Because of the non-truth-functionality of modal operators..the initial account does not lead to any obvious formal definition of validity for modal formulae. 1983 Listener 10 Feb. 29/1 A man..has even revived the hoary old Ontological Argument for the existence of God in terms of bang-up-to-date ‘modal logic’. 2. Law. Of a legacy, contract, etc.: containing provisions defining the manner in which it is to take effect. Cf. modus n. 2. Now chiefly historical. ΘΚΠ society > law > legal document > [adjective] > parts of > specific clauses or provisions conditional1552 modal1590 resolutivea1623 contingent1710 resolutory1818 1590 H. Swinburne Briefe Treat. Test. & Willes iv. f. 135 Excepte the condition be not conditionall but modall, for (conditio) and (modus) doo greatlie differ. 1590 H. Swinburne Briefe Treat. Test. & Willes vii. f. 290 When the legacy is not conditional, but modall. 1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 336 Some think it to be a modal Legacy;..and consequently a Legacy of this kind ought to be paid before the Mode is fulfilled. 1860 J. J. S. Wharton Law-lexicon (ed. 2) Modal legacy, a bequest with a direction as to the mode in which it is to be applied to the legatee's benefit. 1988 D. Johnston Roman Law Trusts 249 This question of chronology makes only one difference, and that is in assessing how long the two separate procedural regimes lasted; how long therefore the use of a trust brought with it a distinct advantage compared with the use of a modal legacy. 3. Music. Of or relating to a musical mode (see mode n. 1); making use of a particular mode or modes, now esp. of one other than the modern major or minor.Rare before the 18th cent. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > system of sounds or intervals > [adjective] > mode modal1597 1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke Annot. sig. ^v To this day could I neuer see..a Long set for 3. briefes with that signe, except it had either a figure of three, or then [read* three] modal rests sette before it. 1772 W. Jones Ess. Imit. Arts in Poems 208 Each of them has a peculiar character, arising from the position of the modal note. 1880 W. S. Rockstro in G. Grove Dict. Music II. 340 The Modal Sign is usually placed after the Clef, like the Time Signature in modern music. 1884 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 80/2 A system of modes..for ecclesiastical music which differed essentially from the Greek modal system in having no notes inflected by sharps or flats. 1903 Westm. Gaz. 27 Nov. 10/2 A great many genuine old ballads, some so old as to be modal in form—that is, pre~existent to the time of the major and minor scale. 1933 Times Lit. Suppl. 2 Mar. 139/1 The gaps in the gapped modes are what gives such modal tunes their decisive character. 1955 New Oxf. Hist. Music (rev. ed.) II. vii. 232 This anonymous song..begins with a slightly modal flavour but settles down into F major. 1990 Classic CD July 90/2 The beautifully economic opening Allegretto is coloured by scrumptious chromatic chords, modal inflections and long languid melodic lines. 4. Chiefly Theology. Of or relating to mode or form, usually as contrasted with substance. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > existence > extrinsicality or externality > [adjective] > relating to mode or form modal1625 1625 W. Laud Serm. preached at Westm. 18 There must be..a paring off of foolish and vnlearned Questions, yea, and of many Modal too. 1678 T. Gale Court of Gentiles: Pt. IV 6 Moral Bonitie and Vitiositie are differences of human acts merely accidental or modal. 1712 E. Warren (title) An Antidote against Arianism... Wherein the doctrine of the Vital Trinity is set forth as reasonable and most probable; and that of the modal one is made more apparently absurd and spurious. 1782 J. Priestley Hist. Corruptions Christianity I. i. 148 Dr. Wallis thought the distinction..was only modal. 1852 F. W. Robertson Serm. (1876) 4th Ser. xi. 104 A heresy, known in old times by the name of Sabellianism or modal Trinity. 1876 E. Mellor Priesthood iv. 172 To discount from the teaching of Christ the words ‘eat’ and ‘drink’, as modal terms enjoining modal operations..is to relinquish the literal interpretation. 1909 Catholic Encycl. at Eucharist, Real Presence of Christ in As regards the philosophical possibility of the accidents existing without their substance, the older school drew a fine distinction between modal and absolute accidents. 5. Grammar. a. Of or relating to the mood of a verb. Of a verb or other element: expressing or used to express modality. Esp. in modal auxiliary, modal verb. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > mood > [adjective] modal1805 the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > other parts of speech > [adjective] > other spec. numerala1398 partitivea1398 gentile1542 indefinitive1598 illative1611 integral1668 collective1751 modal1845 parti-generic1939 1805 J. H. Tooke Επεα Πτεροεντα (ed. 2) II. vii. 467 Our language has made but small progress, compared either with the Greek or with the Latin..even in this Modal and Temporal abbreviation. 1845 W. E. Jelf Gram. Greek Lang. I. §184 The Modal vowel, which signifies the modal relations of the verb, and varies accordingly. 1933 E. H. Grout Standard Eng. v. 122 The modal auxiliaries may, might, can, could, must, ought,..give a cast to the whole sentence in which they are. 1961 R. B. Long Sentence & its Parts vi. 138 A category of modal auxiliaries is often set up for modern English, to include various verbs expressing ideas of possibility, constraint, and desire. 1989 Eng. World-wide 10 262 Modal combinations seem to occur much more often in certain types of personal interaction (e.g., negotiations) than others (e.g., sociolinguistic interviews). 1992 Eng. Today July 32/2 Certain modal verbs are used to express requests and suggestions in business corespondence. b. Of a particle: denoting manner or modality. ΚΠ 1880 Expositor 12 289 Those conjunctive and modal particles in which the Greek language is so incomparably rich. 1987 Multilingua 6 306 In spoken German, modal particles are very frequent and important devices to indicate the speaker's intentions and his or her estimation of the situation. 6. a. Statistics. Of, relating to, or of the nature of a mode; (of a value, etc.) that occurs most frequently in a particular sample or population. Cf. mode n. 13. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > probability or statistics > [adjective] > relating to distribution > of measures of central tendency median1882 modal1897 multimodal1899 bimodal1903 polymodal1910 unimodal1923 trimodal1927 1897 Proc. Royal Soc. 62 175 Probable error of modal frequency y₀. 1900 K. Pearson Gram. of Sci. (ed. 2) 383 The average value of the character is very frequently taken as determining the type instead of the modal value. 1938 A. E. Waugh Elements Statist. Method iv. 46 In the first place it is necessary to locate the modal class. By this we mean the class which contains the most items. 1954 M. Beresford Lost Villages Eng. ix. 288 In the receipts of 1377 we have only the constables' names to add flesh and blood to the averages, modal ranges and medians of statistical calculations. 1968 Listener 25 July 101/1 The administrators we saw..had averaged only 2·8 years in all their completed jobs in the class; in fact, the modal (most frequently occurring) period in completed jobs was two years. 1987 Brit. Jrnl. Sociol. 38 49 They have been contacted at longer intervals, at ages 32 (modal age 31 years 9 months) and 36. b. Chiefly Sociology. Representative, typical. modal personality n. a personality type held to be typical of a particular society or group, esp. in possessing the modal characteristics of that population. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > psychology > social psychology > group psychology > [noun] > representative personality modal personality1944 1944 C. Du Bois People of Alor i. i. 3 Modal personality, then, is the product of the interplay of fundamental, physiologically and neurologically determined tendencies and experiences common to all human beings acted upon by the cultural milieu. 1944 C. Du Bois People of Alor i. i. 5 On such a base line data will show central tendencies that constitute the modal personality for any particular culture. 1948 K. Davis Human Society xv. 427 The modal divorce now occurs in the third year of marriage. 1949 R. K. Merton Social Theory i. 57 The characteristic (modal) pattern for handling a standardized problem. 1956 W. H. Whyte Organization Man (1957) 281 What might be called the modal man, however, is a twenty-five-to-thirty-five-year-old white-collar organization man. 1970 E. McGinnies Social Behavior iii. 70 Linton (1945) has conceived of national character as a modal personality structure, or configuration that appears with considerable frequency in a society. 1970 E. McGinnies Social Behavior iii. 71 Identification of such modal behavior configurations makes it possible to arrive at certain generalizations about any given society and to describe more succinctly the differences between one society and another. 7. Geology. Of or relating to the mode of a rock; as indicated by a mode. Cf. mode n. 5c. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > structure of the earth > constituent materials > rock > mineral or chemical composition > [adjective] modal1902 heteromorphic1920 1902 W. Cross et al. in Jrnl. Geol. (Chicago) 10 609 A Modal Variety..may be defined as a rock having a mode with a slightly different development of the quite subordinate component minerals. 1938 Nature 17 Sept. 495/2 The second volume includes all the rocks with more than 5 per cent of modal quartz. 1962 A. E. J. Engel & C. G. Engel in A. E. J. Engel et al. Petrologic Stud. 48 The thin sections used for modal analyses of two-pyroxene amphibolites were slightly thicker than is conventional, to accentuate the color difference. 1985 R. Thorpe & G. Brown Field Descr. Igneous Rocks iv. 28 Some of these schemes use the proportions of the minerals observed under the microscope (their modal proportions). 8. Computing. Designating a program, system, or user interface which requires the user to switch between different modes of operation to perform different types of action; spec. designating a dialogue box that must be responded to before a system will permit any other interaction. Cf. modeless adj. 3. ΚΠ 1985 G. Phillips & D. J. Scellato Apple Macintosh Encycl. 202 A Dialog Box that requires a response from the user prior to going forward with the next step of a command is called a ‘modal dialog box’ in the Macintosh technical manuals. 1992 MacUser Nov. 224/2 The log-in screen is modal and can't be cleared away until you pass the password test. 1996 Linux Jrnl. Dec. 32/1 Figure 2 shows the color selection modeless dialog used with the V Icon Editor. V supports both modal and modeless dialogs with a complete set of controls. B. n.¹ 1. Logic. A modal proposition (see sense A. 1). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical proposition > [noun] > modal logic or proposition modal1599 modality1628 modus1629 mode1852 modal logic1932 1599 T. Blundeville Art of Logike iii. viii. 67 (heading) Of the opposition of Modals. 1629 A. Richardson Logicians School-master 261 Now they call these modalls. 1654 Z. Coke Art of Logick 108 There is more use of those Modals among the Greeks then the Latines. 1725 I. Watts Logick ii. ii. §4 There is no great need of making modals a distinct sort [sc. of proposition]. 1788 T. Reid Aristotle's Logic iv. §6. 89 He thinks that the doctrine of modals ought to be banished out of logic and remitted to grammar. 1827 R. Whately Elements Logic (ed. 2) iii. ii. 108 When a hypothetical Conclusion is inferred from a hypothetical Premiss,..then the hypothesis (as in Modals) must be considered as part of one of the Terms. 1878 S. H. Hodgson Philos. of Refl. I. 368 It has the advantage of exhibiting the derivation of the Modals, as they are called, from the reflective mode of consciousness [etc.]. 1955 A. N. Prior Formal Logic iii. i. §1. 188 Modern formalizations of the logic of modals. 2. Grammar. A modal verb (see sense A. 5a). ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > verb > [noun] > auxiliary verb > modal modal1959 1959 Rep. 10th Ann. Meeting Linguistics & Lang. (Georgetown Univ. Inst. Lang.) iv. 112 Parallel rules apply to most of the modals and conjugators. 1965 N. Chomsky Aspects Theory Syntax ii. 63 May is a verbal auxiliary..and..a Modal. 1971 J. Anderson in A. J. Aitken et al. Edinb. Stud. Eng. & Sc. 69 These phenomena are often well documented in grammars purporting to give an account of the modals. 1991 R. M. W. Dixon New Approach to Eng. Gram. vi. 170 Each modal has a fair semantic range. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.²adj.²1977adj.¹n.¹1569
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