modifier

American  

[mod-uh-fahy-er] / ˈmɒd əˌfaɪ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that modifies.

2. Grammar.

   1. a word, phrase, or sentence element that limits or qualifies the sense of another word, phrase, or element in the same construction.

   2. the immediate constituent of an endocentric construction that is not the head.

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modifier British  

/ ˈmɒdɪˌfaɪə /

noun

1. Also called: qualifier.  grammar a word or phrase that qualifies the sense of another word; for example, the noun alarm is a modifier of clock in alarm clock and the phrase every day is an adverbial modifier of walks in he walks every day

2. a person or thing that modifies

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modifier Cultural  

1. A word or group of words that describes or limits a verb, noun, adjective, or adverb. Modifiers applied to nouns are adjectives. Modifiers applied to verbs or adjectives are adverbs. Those that are applied to adverbs themselves are also called adverbs.

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Grammar

See dangling participle, misplaced modifier.

Etymology

Origin of modifier

First recorded in 1575–85; modify + -er ¹

Explanation

A modifier is a word that describes or changes another word. Adjectives and adverbs are fun modifiers. They can turn a “man” into a “strange man” or make him “act strangely.” To modify is to change slightly, so a modifier is anything that makes this change. Modifiers are popular in grammar land, but you could say that chocolate is a mood modifier, for example. An editor, who alters a few sentences, can be described as a modifier of the original manuscript. In the world of science, a modifier is a kind of gene that changes the effect of another gene. Modifier comes from the Latin word modificare, "to limit or restrain."

Example Sentences

Modifier genes have long been a focus of research in my laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2023

The final funding amount includes arcane adjustments such as the Weighted Average Daily Attendance, the Dollar Value Modifier and Local Effort.

From Washington Times • May 9, 2017

An investigation by the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General in 2005 found many instances of Modifier 59 abuse.

From New York Times • Mar. 29, 2017

But the government created Modifier 59 — a code that could be appended to other codes to allow doctors to take exceptions to that rule in unusual cases.

From New York Times • Mar. 29, 2017

Modifier is a word or group of words joined to some part of the sentence to qualify or limit the meaning+.

From Graded Lessons in English An Elementary English Grammar Consisting of One Hundred Practical Lessons, Carefully Graded and Adapted to the Class-Room by Reed, Alonzo