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modification

 [mod-uh-fi-key-shuhn]   Example Sentences Origin

mod·i·fi·ca·tion

   [mod-uh-fi-key-shuhn]
noun
1.
an act or instance of modifying.
2.
the state of being modified; partial alteration.
3.
a modified form; variety.
4.
Biology. a change in a living organism acquired from its own activity or environment and not transmitted to its descendants.
5.
limitation or qualification.
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6.
Grammar.
a.
the use of a modifier in a construction, or of modifiers in a class of constructions or in a language.
b.
the meaning of a modifier, especially as it affects the meaning of the word or other form modified: Limitation is one kind of modification.
c.
a change in the phonological shape of a morpheme, word, or other form when it functions as an element in a construction, as the change of not to -n't in doesn't.
d.
an adjustment in the form of a word as it passes from one language to another.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
1495–1505; < Latin modificātiōn- (stem of modificātiō), equivalent to modificāt(us) (past participle of modificāre; see modify) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms
in·ter·mod·i·fi·ca·tion, noun
o·ver·mod·i·fi·ca·tion, noun
pre·mod·i·fi·ca·tion, noun
re·mod·i·fi·ca·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To Modification

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Modification is always a great word to know.
So is fat cell. Does it mean:
a sudden departure from the parent type an heritable characteristic caused by a change in a gene or a chromosome
a cell in loose connective tissue that is specialized for the synthesis and storage of fat
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Example Sentences
  • Breeding or genetic modification could increase the efficiency with which animals and plants take up nitrogen.
  • The modification will allow drugs to be pumped directly into brain tissue.
  • Some studies show that behavioral modification is as effective as medication.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
modification (ˌmɒdɪfɪˈkeɪʃən)
 
—n
1.  the act of modifying or the condition of being modified
2.  something modified; the result of a modification
3.  a small change or adjustment
4.  grammar the relation between a modifier and the word or phrase that it modifies
 
'modificatory
 
—adj
 
'modificative
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

modification
c.1500, in philosophy, from Fr. modification (14c.) or directly from L. modificationem, noun of action from modificare (see modify). Meaning to alter an object to bring it up to date is from 1774. Biological sense is attested by 1896.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

modification mod·i·fi·ca·tion (mŏd'ə-fĭ-kā'shən)
n.
Any of the changes in an organism that are caused by environment or activity and are not genetically transmissable to offspring.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
modification   (mŏd'ə-fĭ-kā'shən)  Pronunciation Key 
A change in an organism that results from external influences and cannot be inherited.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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