modal

views updated Jun 27 2018

mod·al / ˈmōdl/ • adj. 1. of or relating to mode or form as opposed to substance.2. Gram. of or denoting the mood of a verb. ∎  relating to a modal verb.3. Statistics of or relating to a mode; occurring most frequently in a sample or population.4. Mus. of or denoting music using melodies or harmonies based on modes other than the ordinary major and minor scales.5. Logic (of a proposition) in which the predicate is affirmed of the subject with some qualification, or which involves the affirmation of possibility, impossibility, necessity, or contingency.• n. Gram. a modal word or construction.DERIVATIVES: mod·al·ly / ˈmōdl-ē/ adv.

modal

views updated May 18 2018

modal. Pertaining to the modes; style of comp. in which the modes are used.