modulation

[moj-uh-ley-shuhn, mod-yuh-]

noun

1. the act of modulating.

2. the state of being modulated.

3. Music.,  transition from one key to another.

4. Grammar.

   1. the use of a particular distribution of stress or pitch in a construction, as the use of rising pitch on here in John is here?

   2. the feature of a construction resulting from such use.

Word History and Origins

Origin of modulation¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin modulātiōn- (stem of modulātiō ) rhythmical measure. See modulate, -ion

Example Sentences

Yet the production is so entrancing that the occasional lack of modulation by the performers hardly matters.

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They define dead states as those states from which cells cannot return to an apparent "living" state, regardless of the modulation of any biochemical processes.

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The team's pioneering approach also integrates broadband, high-frequency modulation of the OPO output, which allows the enhancement of the signal-to-noise ratio, providing even greater detection precision.

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The six-episode final run of “The Conners” is expected to debut midseason, and though its audience was modest, the series' modulation from partisan pandering to grounded storytelling carried it through seven seasons.

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Cuarón wrote one screenplay with more than 300 pages, and later divided that into chapters based on the piece’s dramatic modulations.

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