Biology. a change in a living organism acquired from its own activity or environment and not transmitted to its descendants.
limitation or qualification.
Grammar.
the use of a modifier in a construction, or of modifiers in a class of constructions or in a language.
the meaning of a modifier, especially as it affects the meaning of the word or other form modified: Limitation is one kind of modification.
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.
an adjustment in the form of a word as it passes from one language to another.
Origin of modification
1495–1505; < Latinmodificātiōn- (stem of modificātiō), equivalent to modificāt(us) (past participle of modificāre; see modify) + -iōn--ion
Related formsin·ter·mod·i·fi·ca·tion, nouno·ver·mod·i·fi·ca·tion, nounpre·mod·i·fi·ca·tion, nounre·mod·i·fi·ca·tion, noun
c.1500, in philosophy, from Middle French modification (14c.) and directly from Latin modificationem (nominative modificatio) "a measuring," noun of action from past participle stem of modificare (see modify). Meaning "alteration to an object to bring it up to date" is from 1774. Biological sense is attested by 1896.
