Etymologically
Log in

modular

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 09:43. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈmɒdjʊlə(ɹ)/[1]
  • US: /ˈmɑd͡ʒəlɚ/[1]

Etymology

In mathematics it is borrowed from New Latin modulāris,[2][3][4][5] which the OED finds in the phrase modularis ratio used by Roger Cotes in 1714;[6] Etymonline also allows borrowed from French modulaire.[7] The New Latin word is from Latin modulus (“a small measure”),[2][7][4] a diminutive of modus (“measure, manner”),[7] with the suffix -āris.[6][5] Etymonline traces modus to Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to take appropriate measures”).[7] In its other senses the word is probably formed from English module + -ar.[6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In mathematics, of or relating to a modulus: 1798 in Barnhart and Etymonline,[2][7] and 1815, in Hutton's Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary, in the OED and Merriam-Webster.[6][5]

Semantic evolution

In 1842 the word was used in architecture of the module, the unit of measure of the classical orders, a use the OED marks as rare and obsolete.[6][3] The modern sense, built from standard units that can be combined in different ways, comes from building design: Barnhart and the OED date it to 1936.[2][6][7] It spread to furniture, to computer programs made of separate modules,[5] and since 1968 to educational courses made up of independent units of study.[6] A noun, a building made of prefabricated modules, is chiefly American and dates from 1969.[6]

Timeline

  • 1798 – in mathematics, relating to a modulus.[2][7]
  • 1842 – in architecture, measured by the module (obsolete).[6]
  • 1936 – built on a standard module; made of interchangeable units.[6][2]
  • 1968 – of a course made up of independent units.[6]
  • 1969 – noun, a building made of prefabricated modules.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Made of standard units or sections that can be joined or arranged in different ways: modular shelving for the garage.[5][6][8]
  2. Of a course of study, made up of separate units that can be combined in various ways.[6]
  3. Of a computer program, made up of separate modules.[5]
  4. (mathematics) Of or relating to a modulus.[5][6][8]

Noun

  1. (chiefly US) Something made of modules, especially a prefabricated building.[6]

Word family

  • modularly
  • modularity
  • unimodular
  • modular arithmetic

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins