ˈməudl adj. 1 of or relating to
mode or
form as opposed to
substance. 2 Gram. a of or denoting
the mood of a
verb. b (of an
auxiliary verb, e.g. would) used to express the mood of
another verb. c (of a particle) denoting
manner. 3
Statistics of or relating to a mode; occurring
most frequently in a
sample or
population. 4 Mus. denoting a
style of
music using a
particular mode. 5
Logic (of a proposition) in
which the
predicate is affirmed of the
subject with some qualification, or which involves the
affirmation of possiblity,
impossibility,
necessity, or
contingency. øømodally adv. [med.L modalis f. L (as MODE)]