modality

[moh-dal-i-tee]

See more synonyms for modality on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural mo·dal·i·ties.

the quality or state of being modal.
an attribute or circumstance that denotes mode or manner.
Also called mode. Logic. the classification of propositions according to whether they are contingently true or false, possible, impossible, or necessary.

Medicine/Medical. the application of a therapeutic agent, usually a physical therapeutic agent.
one of the primary forms of sensation, as vision or touch.

Origin of modality

From the Medieval Latin word modālitās, dating back to 1610–20. See modal, -ity

Related formsmul·ti·mo·dal·i·ty, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for modality

method, process, procedure, manner, style, tone, technique

Examples from the Web for modality

Historical Examples of modality

But if modality, taken in itself, be not a reality, why then make of it a category?
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3
Plotinos (Plotinus)
Third rank of existence should not be occupied by modality, vi.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 4
Plotinos (Plotinus)
Rank third, of existence, should not be occupied by modality, vi.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 4
Plotinos (Plotinus)
Modality, should not occupy even third rank of existence, vi.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 4
Plotinos (Plotinus)
Rimbaud, when right, is so because he cannot be bothered to exist in any other modality.
Instigations
Ezra Pound

British Dictionary definitions for modality

modality

noun plural -ties

the condition of being modal
a quality, attribute, or circumstance that denotes mode, mood, or manner
logic the property of a statement of being classified under one of the concepts studied by modal logic, esp necessity or possibility
any physical or electrical therapeutic method or agency
any of the five senses

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for modality

1610s, from Old French modalité or directly from Medieval Latin modalitatem (nominative modalitas) "a being modal," from modalis (see modal). Related: Modalities.

modality in Medicine

modality

[mō-dăl′ĭ-tē]

A therapeutic method or agent, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or electrotherapy, that involves the physical treatment of a disorder.
Any of the various types of sensation, such as vision or hearing.