mode (mōd)

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[Middle English, tune, from Latin modus, manner, tune, Sense 2, French, from Old French, fashion, manner, from Latin modus.]

noun 

1. 1. A manner, way, or method of doing or acting: modern modes of travel. See synonyms at method
   2. A particular form, variety, or manner: a mode of expression.
   3. A given condition of functioning; a status: The spacecraft was in its recovery mode.
2. The current or customary fashion or style. See synonyms at fashion
3. Music
   1. Any of certain fixed arrangements of the diatonic tones of an octave, as the major and minor scales of Western music.
   2. A patterned arrangement, as the one characteristic of the music of classical Greece or the medieval Christian Church.
4. Philosophy The particular appearance, form, or manner in which an underlying substance, or a permanent aspect or attribute of it, is manifested.
5. Logic
   1. See modality
   2. The arrangement or order of the propositions in a syllogism according to both quality and quantity.
6. Statistics The value or item occurring most frequently in a series of observations or statistical data.
7. Mathematics The number or range of numbers in a set that occurs the most frequently.
8. Geology The mineral composition of a sample of igneous rock.
9. Physics Any of numerous patterns of wave motion or vibration.
10. Grammar Mood.

mo·dal·i·ty (mō-dăĺĭ-tē)

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noun: pl., -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. The ceremonial forms, protocols, or conditions that surround formal agreements or negotiations: “ 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.