modus operandi
[ moh-duhs -op-uh-ran-dee, -dahy; Latin moh-doos -oh-pe-rahn-dee ]
/ ˈmoʊ dəs ˌɒp əˈræn di, -daɪ; Latin ˈmoʊ dus ˌoʊ pɛˈrɑn di /
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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: to investigate the modus operandi of the natural world.
one’s usual way of doing something: A criminal’s modus operandi can give the police a lead.Abbreviation: MO
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Origin of modus operandi
First recorded in 1645–55; New Latin: literally “mode of working”
Words nearby modus operandi
module, modulo, modulus, modulus of elasticity, modulus of rigidity, modus operandi, modus ponens, modus tollens, modus vivendi, Moe, Moebius
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for modus operandi
modus operandi
/ (ˈməʊdəs ˌɒpəˈrændiː, -ˈrændaɪ) /
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
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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.