modification

American  

[mod-uh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌmɒd ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

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.

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modification British  

/ 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

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modification Scientific  

/ mŏd′ə-fĭ-kā′shən /

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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of modification

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

Example Sentences

We have done our best to revisit them each year on our wedding anniversary with one modification — we bring bathing suits and towels.

From Los Angeles Times

It took several years, and some iterative modifications to the structure, but wild bats eventually moved in and established a colony there.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The modification of the cherub's face was the decorator's initiative, not communicated to the competent authorities," it said in a statement shared by news agency Ansa.

From BBC

Mexico and Canada must launch a joint review of the free trade pact by July 1, its sixth anniversary, to determine whether the nations intend to renew it for 16 more years or make modifications.

From Los Angeles Times

“The Federal Supreme Court acknowledged that this new evidence may justify a modification of the contested award,” Switzerland’s highest court stated.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adjustment
• alteration
• conversion