modify

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English modifien, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle French modifier, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin modificare (“to limit, control, regulate, deponent”), from modificari (“to measure off, set bound to, moderate”), from modus (“measure”) + facere (“to make”); see mode.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɒdɪfaɪ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑdɪfaɪ/
• Hyphenation: mod‧i‧fy

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Verb

modify (third-person singular simple present modif, present participle ies, simple past and past participle modified)

1. (transitive) To change part of.
2. (intransitive) To be or become modified.
3. (transitive) To set bounds to; to moderate.
4. (grammar, transitive) To qualify the meaning of.
   • (Can we date this quote?), A Semantic Analysis of Word Order: Position of the Adjective in French

     There is inherently no ordering to the modification and no hierarchy of modification: that is, both adjectives modify the substantive and both apply equally to the substantive...

   • (Can we date this quote?) The New Harbrace Guide: Genres for Composing

     Adjectives modify nouns.

Synonyms

• adapt, alter, amend, revamp, rework

Related terms

• modification

Derived terms

• modifier

Translations

to change part of

• Catalan: modificar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 修改 (zh) (xiūgǎi)

• Crimean Tatar: tüzetmek
• Danish: modificere (da)
• Dutch: modificeren (nl), veranderen (nl)
• Esperanto: modifi, aliigi
• Estonian: muutma
• Finnish: muokata (fi), muunnella (fi), määrittää (fi) (grammar)
• French: modifier (fr)
• Galician: modificar (gl)
• German: ändern (de), abändern (de), modifizieren (de)
• Greek: μετατρέπω (el) (metatrépo), προσδιορίζω (el) (prosdiorízo)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: módosít (hu)
• Interlingua: modificar
• Italian: modificare (it)
• Korean: 수정하다 (ko) (sujeonghada)
• Ladin: muder
• Latin: adaptō
• Maori: whakarerekē, whakakē
• Polish: modyfikować (pl)
• Portuguese: modificar (pt)
• Romanian: modifica (ro)
• Russian: изменя́ть (ru) (izmenjátʹ), модифици́ровать (ru) (modificírovatʹ)
• Spanish: modificar (es)

to be or become modified

• Finnish: muokata (fi)
• German: bearbeiten (de)
• Greek: μετατρέπομαι (el) (metatrépomai)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: módosul (hu)
• Romanian: a (se) modifica (ro)
• Russian: изменя́ться (ru) (izmenjátʹsja), модифици́роваться (ru) (modificírovatʹsja)

References

• “modify”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “modify”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• domify