modulus
noun
Simple meaning
The base about which a congruence is computed.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
mawjooluhsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈmɔdʒuləs
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
mathematics
The base with respect to which a congruence is computed.
mathematics
The absolute value of a complex number
computingprogramming
An operator placed between two numbers, to get the remainder of the division of those numbers.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The base with respect to which a congruence is computed.
Used this way, modulus is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a mathematical use: it is defined precisely and belongs to working with figures and calculations rather than to ordinary conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Mathematics
- Geometry
- Academic writing
- Education/classroom
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The ratio of the applied stress to the change in shape of an elastic body.
The coefficient of elasticity for a shearing force.
The ratio of the change in pressure acting on a volume to the fractional change in volume.
The ratio of the applied stress to the change in shape of an elastic body.
A coefficient of elasticity applicable to the stretching of a wire.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.