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Which term is modus operandi modeled after?

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modus operandi

American  

[moh-duhs op-uh-ran-dee, -dahy, moh-doos oh-pe-rahn-dee] / ˈmoʊ dəs ˌɒp əˈræn di, -daɪ, ˈmoʊ dus ˌoʊ pɛˈrɑn di /

noun

• modi operandi
  plural

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.

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modus operandi British  

/ ˈməʊdəs ˌɒpəˈrændiː, -ˈrændaɪ /

noun

1. procedure; method of operating

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modus operandi Cultural  

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.”

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• modi operandi
  plural

Etymology

Origin of modus operandi

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

modus operandi

It also abandoned its typical modus operandi by bringing in former Apple designer Jony Ive and his team, instead of relying solely on Ferrari’s in-house crew.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

They’re twin portraits of an artist delving into the origin of her modus operandi.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

The officer subsequently requested the case files for similar offences in the surrounding area with a comparable modus operandi.

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026

Other digital asset treasury companies that sought to ape Saylor’s modus operandi have suffered a similar fate.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 5, 2026

York could see that fashioning a modus operandi for the new lab that met both men’s specifications would be practically impossible, for “they were poles apart.”

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• rule of thumb