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module

Etymology and origin of the English word module

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1586
Borrowed from
Middle French module
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*med-)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmɑd͡ʒul/, /ˈmɒd͡ʒul/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French module or directly Latin modulus (“small measure”),[2][3][4] a diminutive of modus (“measure, manner”) (see mode),[2][3][5] from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to take appropriate measures”).[3] It is a doublet of mould.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Allotted measure or scale: 1586 in Barnhart and the OED,[2][6] the 1580s in Etymonline, a sense now obsolete;[3] Merriam-Webster gives 1608.[5]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th and 17th centuries it also meant a small-scale plan or model.[6] A standard or unit of measurement is from before 1628,[2][6] and in architecture the unit by which the proportions of the classical orders are reckoned from 1563.[6] A length chosen as the basis for the dimensions of building parts is from 1936,[3] leading to a standardized or interchangeable part in electronics and mechanics by 1955,[2][3] a separate section of a spacecraft from 1961,[2][3] and a unit of computer software in 1963.[2] The New Oxford dates the current senses to the 1950s.[4]

Timeline

  • 1586 – allotted measure.[2][6]
  • before 1628 – a unit of measurement.[2][6]
  • 1955 – an interchangeable unit.[2][3]
  • 1961 – a spacecraft module.[2][3]
  • 1963 – a software module.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A self-contained unit or component that can be combined with others to form a larger system, as in electronics or computer software.
  2. A separate, self-contained section of a spacecraft.
  3. A standard unit of measurement, especially one used to coordinate the dimensions of building parts.
  4. A unit of study forming part of a course.

Word family

  • modular
  • modularize
  • modularized

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Module.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/module. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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