modus operandi

English

Etymology

From Latin modus operandi, from modus (“manner, method”) and operandi (“of working”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈməʊ.dʌs ˌɒp.ə(ɹ).æn.daɪ/, SAMPA: /"m@U.dVs %Qp.@(r).{n.daI/

Noun

Wikipedia modus operandi (plural modi operandi)

1. (colloquial) A person or thing's normal mode of operation.
2. (law enforcement) A known criminal's established habits and mode of work when committing specific offences, especially fraud, matched with characteristics of an unsolved crime to narrow down (limit to a specific list) or profile suspects.

Quotations

• 2001 — Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl, p 92-93

  Failing that, if contact was absolutely necessary, a series of thumb jabs to the nerve cluster at the base of the neck would be his chosen modus operandi—quiet as a whisper.

Synonyms

• MO

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Italian

Etymology

Latin

Noun

modus operandi

1. modus operandi