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modus operandi

[moh-duh s op-uh-ran-dee, -dahy; Latin moh-doos oh-pe-rahn-dee]
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR modus operandi ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural mo·di op·e·ran·di [moh-dee op-uh-ran-dee, moh-dahy op-uh-ran-dahy; Latin moh-dee oh-pe-rahn-dee] /ˈmoʊ di ˌɒp əˈræn di, ˈmoʊ daɪ ˌɒp əˈræn daɪ; Latin ˈmoʊ di ˌoʊ pɛˈrɑn di/.

mode of operating or working.

RELATED WORDS

approach, manner, means, method, procedure, process, system, technique, way, M.O., MO

Nearby words

  1. modulo,
  2. modulus,
  3. modulus of elasticity,
  4. modulus of rigidity,
  5. modus,
  6. modus ponens,
  7. modus tollens,
  8. modus vivendi,
  9. mody,
  10. moe

Origin of modus operandi

First recorded in 1645–55, modus operandi is from the Latin word modus operandī
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for modus operandi

modus operandi

noun plural modi operandi (ˈməʊdiː ˌɒpəˈrændiː, ˈməʊdaɪ ˌɒpəˈrændaɪ)

procedure; method of operating

Word Origin for modus operandi

C17: from Latin
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 modus operandi
n.

"way of doing or accomplishing," 1650s, Latin, literally "mode of operating" (see modus). Abbreviation m.o. is attested from 1955.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for modus operandi

modus operandi

[(moh-duhs op-uh-ran-dee, op-uh-ran-deye)]

The way someone does something; a characteristic method: “Her modus operandi in buying a new car always included a month of research.” This phrase, often abbreviated “m.o.,” is used by police to describe a criminal's characteristic way of committing a crime. From Latin, meaning “method of operation.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.