Modular

How to spell modular

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce modular

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does modular mean?

1. adjectiveConstructed from separate standardised units that can be combined, rearranged, or replaced.

Modular in a sentence

• The office chose a modular desk system so the layout could change as teams grew.

• Their modular software design lets developers swap one component without rewriting the whole program.

Where does modular come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word grows from the Latin modulus, a diminutive of modus, which meant 'a measure', 'a standard', or 'a manner of doing something'. A modulus was therefore a small unit of measure, the kind of fixed reference size that architects and builders used to keep the proportions of a structure consistent. The adjective form, with the Latin ending -aris meaning 'relating to', described anything organised around such standard units. It entered English in the mid 1700s, at first in technical and mathematical writing, before spreading in the twentieth century to engineering, furniture, computing, and music, where it describes systems built from interchangeable standard parts. The same Latin modus also gave English the everyday words 'mode', 'model', and 'modify', so the family resemblance is a useful reminder that the spelling keeps the bare 'modul-' before the simple '-ar'.

How the word is built

• modul- (from Latin modulus, a small measure)
• -ar (adjective suffix forming 'relating to')