modal

[mohd-l] /ˈmoʊd l/
adjective
1.
of or pertaining to mode, manner, or form.
2.
Music.
  1. pertaining to mode, as distinguished from key.
  2. based on a scale other than major or minor.
3.
Also, single modal. Transportation. pertaining to or suitable for transportation involving only one form of a carrier, as truck, rail, or ship.
Compare bimodal (def 3), intermodal.
4.
Grammar. noting or pertaining to mood.
5.
Philosophy. pertaining to a mode of a thing, as distinguished from one of its basic attributes or from its substance or matter.
6.
Logic. exhibiting or expressing some phase of modality.
noun
7.
modal auxiliary.
Origin
1560-70; < Medieval Latin modālis. See mode1, -al1
Related forms
modally, adverb
nonmodal, adjective
nonmodally, adverb
Examples from the web for modal
  • What they share is a penchant for zigzagging modal tunes, high-speed playing and throat-tearing vocals.
  • He was skillful and methodical, pinpointing melodies and working through modal permutations.
  • Would is a modal verb, which means that it expresses a mood.
  • He can jolt chords with piercing dissonances or tame them into modal calm.
  • The harmonic language is an uncomplicated mix of the diatonic and the modal.
  • In may's case, the big function of that modal auxiliary is to describe the degree of likelihood.
  • Hedges builds layers of syncopation and modal riffs.
  • As fingers flew in modal patterns and voices rose in urgent dialogue, the music danced across expanses of history and culture.
  • The trio's early set included a blues and some vamp tunes, platforms for modal and free improvising written by.
  • My favorite part of speech is the group of little guys known as modal auxiliaries or informally, modals.
British Dictionary definitions for modal

modal

/ˈməʊdəl/
adjective
1.
of, relating to, or characteristic of mode or manner
2.
(grammar) (of a verb form or auxiliary verb) expressing a distinction of mood, such as that between possibility and actuality. The modal auxiliaries in English include can, could, may, must, need, ought, shall, should, will, and would
3.
(philosophy, logic)
  1. qualifying or expressing a qualification of the truth of some statement, for example, as necessary or contingent
  2. relating to analogous qualifications such as that of rules as obligatory or permissive
4.
(metaphysics) of or relating to the form of a thing as opposed to its attributes, substance, etc
5.
(music) of or relating to a mode
6.
of or relating to a statistical mode
Derived Forms
modally, adverb
Word Origin and History for modal
adj.

1560s, term in logic, from Middle French modal and directly from Medieval Latin modalis "of or pertaining to a mode," from Latin modus "measure, manner, mode" (see mode (n.1)). Musical sense is from 1590s.

modal in Technology

1. (Of an interface) Having modes. Modeless interfaces are generally considered to be superior because the user does not have to remember which mode he is in.
2. See modal logic.
3. In MS Windows programming, A window with the label "WS_MODAL" will stay on the screen and claim all the user-input. Other windows can only be accessed if the MODAL window is closed. Such a window would typically be used for an error dialog box to warn the user for something important, like "Critical error, shut down the system and restart".
(1995-02-07)