Modular

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈmɒdjʊlə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. Characterizing an approach where individual parts can be mixed and matched to create varied configurations
2. Referring to a framework that allows segments to be combined or arranged in multiple ways for versatility
3. Involving a system where components can be independently constructed or modified to enhance functionality and adaptability

Etymology: "Modular" is built from "module" plus the suffix "-ar", so its story is largely the story of "module." That word goes back to Latin "modulus," a diminutive of "modus," meaning measure, standard or manner. The Latin form carried the sense of a small measure, and it passed into English through French "module," which kept the idea of a unit of measurement or proportion. Over time "module" came to mean a standard unit from which larger structures are assembled, which is how it reached its modern sense of a self-contained part that fits with others. The adjective "modular" follows that sense directly: something is modular when it is made from such standardised parts.

Synonyms: composite, sectional, unit-based, component, interchangeable

Antonyms: integral, whole, unified, fixed, solid