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modular

[moj-uh-ler]
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adjective
  1. of or relating to a module or a modulus.
  2. composed of standardized units or sections for easy construction or flexible arrangement: a modular home; a modular sofa.
  3. Mathematics. (of a lattice) having the property that for any two elements with one less than the other, the union of the smaller element with the intersection of the larger element and any third element of the lattice is equal to the intersection of the larger element with the union of the smaller element and the third element.
  4. Computers. composed of software or hardware modules that can be altered or replaced without affecting the remainder of the system.
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noun
  1. something, as a house or piece of furniture, built or organized in self-contained units or sections.
  2. a self-contained unit or item, as of furniture, that can be combined or interchanged with others like it to create different shapes or designs.
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Origin of modular

From the New Latin word modulāris, dating back to 1790–1800. See module, -ar1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

interchangeablestandardcommutableextensibleexchangeablecompatibleflexibleportableadaptivemutualreciprocal

Examples from the Web for modular

Historical Examples

  • Let the modular proportions of the rest of the work be carried out as written in the fourth book in the case of temples.

    Ten Books on Architecture

    Vitruvius

  • These languages are conceived in a modular fashion and can be designed to optimally serve the task at hand.

  • For instance, the function exp (z) assumes every finite value except zero (see below under 21, Modular Functions).

British Dictionary definitions for modular

modular

adjective
  1. of, consisting of, or resembling a module or modulus
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Derived Formsmodularity (ˌmɒdjʊˈlærɪtɪ), noun
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 modular

adj.

1798, as a term in mathematics, from French modulaire or directly from Modern Latin modularis, from Latin modulus "a small measure" (see module). Meaning "composed of interchangeable units" first recorded 1936.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper