modicum
noun
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The Origins of Modicum Can Be Found in the Bathroom
What does modicum have to do with a toilet? It just so happens that modicum shares the same Latin parent as commode, which is a synonym of toilet. Modicum and commode ultimately derive from the Latin noun modus, which means "measure." (We borrowed the noun commode from the French, who also used the word as an adjective meaning "suitable, convenient.") Modicum, which, logically enough, refers to a small "measure" of something, has been a part of the English language since the 15th century. It descends from the Latin modicus ("moderate"), which is itself a descendant of modus. Modus really measures up as a Latin root—it also gave us mode (originally a kind of musical "measure"), modal, model, modern, modify, and modulate. More distant relatives include mete, moderate, and modest.
Synonyms
Examples of modicum in a Sentence
Scott Hocker, theweek, 20 June 2024
Anyone who has even a modicum of ability to pick up on normal human emotions would realize Nicholas isn’t exactly being truthful here; Molly does not realize this, not one little bit!
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2024
The poles are also volcanically active, which implies a modicum of tidal heating is occurring at greater depths.
—Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Nov. 2023
For many French voters, a modicum of civility has not whitewashed the party’s extreme policies, let alone the vicious antisemitism of its Holocaust-denying founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen.
—Lee Hockstader, Washington Post, 19 June 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Modicum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modicum. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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modicum
noun
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