noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The arrangement of, or mode of expressing, the terms of a contract or conveyance. obsolete
2. 2
   A qualification involving the idea of variation or departure from some general rule or form, in the way of either restriction or enlargement, according to the circumstances of the case, as in the will of a donor, an agreement between parties, etc.
3. 3
   A fixed compensation or equivalent given instead of payment of tithes in kind, expressed in full by the phrase modus decimandi.

   "To make a good and sufficient modus, the following rules must be observed"

Synonyms

All synonyms

fashionmannermethodmodeprocesssystem

Example

More examples

"We have the same intentions, but not the same modus operandi."

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin modus (“measure, manner, mood”). Doublet of mode.

Related phrases

in kindmodus operandi

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.