modus operandi

See also: Modus Operandi

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin modus operandī, from modus (“manner, method”) and operandī (“of working”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈməʊ.dʌs ˌɒp.ə.ɹæn.daɪ/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐʉ.dɘs ˌɔp.ɘ.ɹɛn.dɒe/, /ˈmɐʉ.dɘs ˌɔp.ɘ.ɹɛn.di/

Noun

modus operandi (plural modi operandi or modus operandis)

1. (colloquial) A person or thing's normal mode of operation.
   • 2001, Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl, pages 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.

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.

Synonyms

• MO

Translations

person or thing's method of operation

• Finnish: toimintatapa (fi) (usually in the plural)
• French: modus operandi (fr)
• Georgian: ქმედების ხერხი (kmedebis xerxi)
• German: Modus Operandi (de) m
• Greek: μεθοδολογία δράσης f (methodología drásis), τρόπος δράσης m (trópos drásis)
• Hindi: कार्यप्रणाली (kāryapraṇālī), तरीक़ाकार (tarīqākār), तरीक़ा-ए-कार (tarīqā-e-kār), तरीक़-ए-कार (tarīq-e-kār)
• Italian: modus operandi
• Latin: modus operandi
• Polish: modus operandi (pl) m
• Portuguese: modus operandi (pt) m
• Spanish: modus operandi m

habits from a criminal

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: (犯罪/作案手法的) 特徵／(犯罪/作案手法的) 特征 (tèzhēng)

• Finnish: toimintatapa (fi) (usually in the plural)
• French: mode opératoire (fr) m, modus operandi (fr) m
• Georgian: დანაშაულებრივი ხერხი (današaulebrivi xerxi), დანაშაულებრივი ხერხი (današaulebrivi xerxi), დანაშაულებრივი მოქმედების მეთოდი (današaulebrivi mokmedebis metodi), დანაშაულებრივი მოქმედების ხერხი (današaulebrivi mokmedebis xerxi)
• German: Modus Operandi (de) m
• Hindi: अपराध कार्यप्रणाली (aprādh kāryapraṇālī), अपराधी कार्यप्रणाली (aprādhī kāryapraṇālī)
• Hungarian: modus operandi (hu)
• Polish: modus operandi (pl)
• Portuguese: modus operandi (pt) m

Cebuano

Etymology

From English modus operandi, borrowed from Latin modus operandī.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: mo‧dus‧o‧pe‧ran‧di

Noun

modus operandi

1. (law enforcement) a modus operandi
2. a person or thing's normal mode of operation

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:modus operandi.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɔ.dys ɔ.pe.ʁɑ̃(n).di/

Noun

modus operandi m (plural modus operandi)

1. (law enforcement) modus operandi

   Synonym: mode opératoire

Further reading

• “modus operandi”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin modus operandī (literally “method of working”).

Noun

modus operandi m (invariable)

1. modus operandi

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin modus operandī.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɔ.dus ɔ.pɛˈran.di/
• Rhymes: -andi

Noun

modus operandi m inan (indeclinable)

1. (literary) modus operandi (person or thing's method of operation)

Further reading

• modus operandi in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• modus operandi in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin modus operandī.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmɔ.duz o.peˈɾɐ̃.d͡ʒi/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmɔ.duz ɔ.pɨˈɾɐ̃.di/ [ˈmɔ.ðuz ɔ.pɨˈɾɐ̃.di]

Noun

modus operandi m (plural modus operandi or modi operandi)

1. modus operandi (method of operation)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin modus operandī (literally “manner or method of working”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌmodus opeˈɾandi/ [ˌmo.ð̞us o.peˈɾãn̪.d̪i]
• Syllabification: mo‧dus o‧pe‧ran‧di

Noun

modus operandi m (plural modus operandi)

1. modus operandi

Related terms

• modus vivendi

 

Further reading

• “modus operandi”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish

Noun

modus operandi n

1. (criminal or more general) modus operandi

References

• modus operandi in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)