modification

[mod-uh-fi-key-shuhn]

noun

1. an act or instance of modifying.

2. the state of being modified; partial alteration.

3. a modified form; variety.

4. Biology.,  a change in a living organism acquired from its own activity or environment and not transmitted to its descendants.

5. limitation or qualification.

6. Grammar.

   1. the use of a modifier in a construction, or of modifiers in a class of constructions or in a language.

   2. the meaning of a modifier, especially as it affects the meaning of the word or other form modified.

      Limitation is one kind of modification.

   3. a change in the phonological shape of a morpheme, word, or other form when it functions as an element in a construction, as the change of not to -n't in doesn't.

   4. an adjustment in the form of a word as it passes from one language to another.

modification

/ ˌmɒdɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of modifying or the condition of being modified

2. something modified; the result of a modification

3. a small change or adjustment

4. grammar the relation between a modifier and the word or phrase that it modifies

modification

1. A change in an organism that results from external influences and cannot be inherited.

Other Word Forms

• intermodification noun
• overmodification noun
• premodification noun
• remodification noun
• modificatory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of modification¹

1495–1505; < Latin modificātiōn- (stem of modificātiō ), equivalent to modificāt ( us ) (past participle of modificāre; modify ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Airline passengers travelling from Northern Ireland airports have been advised to be aware of potential disruption to flights, after European aerospace company Airbus requested immediate modifications to thousands of its planes.

Read more on BBC

Airbus has requested immediate modifications to thousands of aircraft after discovering that intense radiation from the sun could corrupt data crucial to flight controls.

Read more on BBC

"By increasing the number of mitochondria inside donor cells, we can help aging or damaged cells regain their vitality -- without any genetic modification or drugs."

Read more on Science Daily

Some social media posts have amplified inaccurate information about the changes — leading the Education Department to issue a “Myth vs. Fact” explainer on the proposed modifications.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Navy plans to cancel orders for four new warships after the government’s extensive design modifications set back construction by years.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• adjustment 
• alteration 
• conversion