Modelled

How to spell modelled

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce modelled

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does modelled mean?

1. verbPast tense of model: shaped, designed, or based something on an existing pattern or example.
2. verbPast tense of model: worked as a model by wearing and displaying clothing for an audience or photographer.

Modelled in a sentence

• The new tax system was modelled on a scheme used in Sweden.

• He modelled winter coats for the catalogue last autumn.

• The engineers modelled the bridge in clay before construction began.

• She modelled for several designers during fashion week.

Where does modelled come from?

Language of origin: French

This is the past tense of the verb model, which entered English in the late 1500s from the French modelle, itself taken from the Italian modello. The Italian word descended from the Latin modulus, a diminutive of modus meaning 'a measure' or 'a standard', so a model was literally a 'little measure' used as a pattern for something larger. The word first described an architect's or sculptor's small-scale plan, then broadened to any pattern worth copying, and later to a person who poses for artists or displays clothing. The verb sense, meaning to shape something or to base one thing on another, grew naturally from that idea of working to a pattern. In British and Canadian English the final l doubles before the -ed ending because the spelling convention doubles a single final l after a short vowel regardless of stress, which is why this form keeps two l's while American English writes 'modeled'.

How the word is built

• model (a representation, from modulus: a small measure)
• -ed (past tense), with the final l doubled in British and Canadian spelling

British and American spelling

Modelled is the British spelling. American English spells it modeled.