modification — English Dictionary

Noun

1. The act of assessing and prescribing a payment, penalty, price, valuation, etc.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Obsolete
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (3)

   Wherein his highnes commandement is, that a graue, wiſe, ⁊ ſage man, ſhalbe appointed pꝛeſident, who may haue yͤ ouerſight of theſe boũds, ⁊ be anſwerable therefoꝛe to the biſhop, his coũſell ⁊ ſynode, ⁊ he to be reſpected reaſonably foꝛ his paines, at the modification of ſtipends: […]

   Mekle Kindeass 2 b. 1 f. and £3 12s 1d . . . . and whatever augmentation . . be ye lords commissioners . . . . for modificaton of stipends and plantation of kirks . . . .

   When the decree of modification is pronounced, the Teind Court, at the same time, remits to the junior Lord Ordinary to prepare a scheme of locality; i. e. an allocation of the modified stipend on the several heritors or others liable therefor; […]

2. The form of existence belonging to a particular object, entity etc.; a mode of being.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Obsolete
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   Pleasure is the business of woman's life, according to the present modification of society […]

3. The change undergone by a word when used in a construction.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

4. The result of modifying something; a new or changed form.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

5. The act of making a change to something while keeping its essential character intact; an alteration or adjustment.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   behavior modification officer

   Jim's modification to the radio's tuning resulted in clearer sound.

6. A change to an organism as a result of its environment that is not transmissable to offspring.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   Due to his sunbathing, Jim's body experienced modifications: he got a tan.

7. A change to a word when it is borrowed by another language.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   The Chinese word kòutóu had a modification made to become the English kowtow.

Noun

1. the act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment)

   Synonyms

   alterationadjustment

   Broader terms

   change

2. slightly modified copy; not an exact copy

   Broader terms

   copy

   Examples

   a modification of last year's model

3. the grammatical relation that exists when a word qualifies the meaning of the phrase

   Synonyms

   qualifyinglimiting

   Broader terms

   grammatical relation

4. an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another

   Synonyms

   changealteration

   Broader terms

   happeningoccurrenceoccurrentnatural event

   Examples

   the change was intended to increase sales

   this storm is certainly a change for the worse

   More examples (1)

   the neighborhood had undergone few modifications since his last visit years ago