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Added 10 October 2026

modal

/ˈməʊdəl/ adjective

Latin root: modālis Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about modal at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Of, or relating to a mode or modus.
Of, relating to, or describing the mood of a clause.
Of, relating to, or composed in the musical modi by which an octave is divided, associated with emotional moods in Ancient — and in medieval ecclesiastical — music. In a mode which is not major or minor scale, the standard modes used in the Western musical tradition.

noun

A modal (etymology 1, adjective sense 4) proposition.
A modal (etymology 1, adjective sense 2) form, notably a modal auxiliary.
A modal verb.

noun

A semi-synthetic fabric, a very soft kind of rayon textile made from beech tree pulp and processed with chemicals.

Origin

From Middle French modal, from Medieval Latin modālis (“pertaining to a mode”), from Latin modus (“mode”). Compare to French, Spanish, and Portuguese modal and Italian modale. By surface analysis, mod(e) + -al.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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