module English · revision 15228

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1586|origins=ine-pro *med-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈmɑd͡ʒul/, /ˈmɒd͡ʒul/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|frm|module]] or directly [[la|modulus|t=small measure]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998) a diminutive of [[m|la|modus|t=measure, manner]] (see [[mode]]),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) from [[ine-pro|*med-|t=to take appropriate measures]].^(Etymonline) It is a doublet of [[mould]].^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Allotted measure or scale: 1586 in Barnhart and the OED,^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) the 1580s in Etymonline, a sense now obsolete;^(Etymonline) Merriam-Webster gives 1608.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 16th and 17th centuries it also meant a small-scale plan or model.^(OED 1989) A standard or unit of measurement is from before 1628,^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) and in architecture the unit by which the proportions of the classical orders are reckoned from 1563.^(OED 1989) A length chosen as the basis for the dimensions of building parts is from 1936,^(Etymonline) leading to a standardized or interchangeable part in electronics and mechanics by 1955,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) a separate section of a spacecraft from 1961,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) and a unit of computer software in 1963.^(Barnhart 1988) The New Oxford dates the current senses to the 1950s.^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1586 – allotted measure.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * before 1628 – a unit of measurement.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1955 – an interchangeable unit.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1961 – a spacecraft module.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1963 – a software module.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A self-contained unit or component that can be combined with others to form a larger system, as in electronics or computer [[software]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A separate, self-contained section of a [[spacecraft]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A standard unit of measurement, especially one used to coordinate the dimensions of building parts.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A unit of study forming part of a course.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[modular]]

+ * [[modularize]]

+ * [[modularized]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[mode]]

+ * [[model]]

+ * [[moderate]]

+ * [[modulus]]

+ * [[modulate]]

+ * [[mould]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}