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modality

 - 5 dictionary results

mo⋅dal⋅i⋅ty

  [moh-dal-i-tee]
–noun, plural -ties.
1. the quality or state of being modal.
2. an attribute or circumstance that denotes mode or manner.
3. Also called mode. Logic. the classification of propositions according to whether they are contingently true or false, possible, impossible, or necessary.
4. Medicine/Medical. the application of a therapeutic agent, usually a physical therapeutic agent.
5. one of the primary forms of sensation, as vision or touch.
Use modality in a Sentence
Origin:
1610–20; < ML modālitās. See modal, -ity
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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mo·dal·i·ty   (mō-dāl'ĭ-tē)   
n.   pl. mo·dal·i·ties

  1. The fact, state, or quality of being modal.

  2. A tendency to conform to a general pattern or belong to a particular group or category.

  3. Logic The classification of propositions on the basis of whether they assert or deny the possibility, impossibility, contingency, or necessity of their content. Also called mode.

  4. modalities The ceremonial forms, protocols, or conditions that surround formal agreements or negotiations: "[He] grew so enthusiastic about our prospects that he began to speculate on the modalities of signing" (Henry A. Kissinger).

  5. Medicine A therapeutic method or agent, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or electrotherapy, that involves the physical treatment of a disorder.

  6. Physiology Any of the various types of sensation, such as vision or hearing.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: mo·dal·i·ty
Pronunciation: mO-'dal-&t-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
1 : oneof the main avenues of sensation (as vision)
2 a : a usually physical therapeutic agency b : an apparatus for applying a modality
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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modality mo·dal·i·ty (mō-dāl'ĭ-tē)
n.

  1. A therapeutic method or agent, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or electrotherapy, that involves the physical treatment of a disorder.

  2. Any of the various types of sensation, such as vision or hearing.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

modality

in logic, the classification of logical propositions according to their asserting or denying the possibility, impossibility, contingency, or necessity of their content. Modal logic, which studies the logical features of such concepts, originated with Aristotle, was extensively studied by logicians in antiquity and the European Middle Ages, and, for the most part, was neglected after the Renaissance until revived in modern mathematical logic. The basic statement on this subject, presupposed in most contemporary discussions, is by C.I. Lewis and Cooper Harold Langford in Symbolic Logic (1932), which develops a modal system of "strict implication" for interpreting the logical force of "if . . . then."

Learn more about modality with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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