Modern

How to spell modern

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce modern

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does modern mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to the present or recent times, or using the latest methods, styles, and technology.

Modern in a sentence

• The office moved into a sleek modern building near the station.

• Modern medicine has dramatically extended the average lifespan.

Where does modern come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word modern arrived in English in the late 1500s from the French moderne, which itself came from the Late Latin modernus meaning 'of the present time' or 'recent'. That Latin form was built on the adverb modo, which literally meant 'just now' or 'only', from the noun modus meaning 'measure' or 'manner'. The idea was that something modern was measured against, and belonged to, the immediate present rather than the distant past. Early English uses often simply meant 'existing now' or 'everyday', and only later did the word take on its strong sense of being up to date, fashionable, or contrasted with the ancient and the medieval. The same modus root that gives us 'just now' also lies behind 'mode', 'model' and 'moderate', which is a useful reminder that the troublesome ending is -ern and not -urn.

How the word is built

• mod- (from Latin modo: just now)
• -ern (adjective suffix denoting time or direction)