modus operandi

[ moh-duhs op-uh-ran-dee, -dahy; Latin moh-doos oh-pe-rahn-dee ]

noun

, plural mo·di op·e·ran·di [moh, -dee op-, uh, -, ran, -dee, moh, -dahy op-, uh, -, ran, -dahy, moh, -dee oh-pe-, rahn, -dee].

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: : MO

   A criminal’s modus operandi can give the police a lead.

modus operandi

/ -ˈrændaɪ; ˈməʊdəs ˌɒpəˈrændiː /

noun

1. procedure; method of operating

modus operandi

1. 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.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of modus operandi¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of modus operandi¹

C17: from Latin

Related Words

• rule of thumb