modus operandi

[ moh-duhs op-uh-ran-dee, -dahy; Latin moh-doos oh-pe-rahn-dee ]
See 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/.
  1. a mode of operating or working: The aim of a scientist is to investigate the modus operandi of the natural world.

  2. one’s usual way of doing something: A criminal’s modus operandi can give the police a lead.Abbreviation: MO

Origin of modus operandi

1
First recorded in 1645–55; New Latin: literally “mode of working”

Words Nearby modus operandi

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British Dictionary definitions for modus operandi

modus operandi

/ (ˈməʊdəs ˌɒpəˈrændiː, -ˈrændaɪ) /


nounplural modi operandi (ˈməʊdiː ˌɒpəˈrændiː, ˈməʊdaɪ ˌɒpəˈrændaɪ)
  1. procedure; method of operating

Origin of modus operandi

1
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

Cultural 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.