modulation
Meanings
- Modification or regulation of something to achieve an appropriate measure or proportion; (countable) an instance of this.
- Variation (especially softening or toning down) of brightness, form, etc.; (countable) an instance of this.
- Variation in the activity or form of a cell in response to changes in the environment; (countable) an instance of this.
- Chiefly preceded by a descriptive word: modification of an electromagnetic wave or other oscillating carrier wave to apply a signal to it; (countable) an instance of this; also, the extent to which such a wave is modified; and the modified wave or signal.
- Variation of the intensity, pitch, and tone of the sound of a musical instrument or voice; inflection; (countable) an instance of this.
- Changing of the key in a piece of music; also, the effect achieved by this as an element of harmony; (countable) an instance of this.
- The quality of a typeface of having contrasting, thick and thin parts of the strokes; stroke-width variation.
- Changing of a thing from one form to another; (countable) an instance of this.
- Harmonious use of language in poetry or prose.
- Modification of the parts of a classical Greek or Roman building to achieve appropriate proportions by measuring in modules (“standard units of measure, usually the diameter or radius of a column at the base of a shaft”).
- Any of the musical notes in ecclesiastical modes of music on which a melodic phrase had to begin and end.
- Arrangement or composition, or performance, of music in a certain key or mode; also (countable) a series of musical notes, chord, or tune analyzed according to a key or mode.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
From Late Middle English modulacion, modulacioun (“act of making music or singing; harmony; melody, song”), from Middle French modulation (modern French modulation), and directly from its etymon Latin modulātiō (“regular or rhythmical measure, modulation; inflection of tone; (architecture) calculation of measurements from a standard unit; (Late Latin) act of making music or singing; melody, song”), from modulātus (“modulated”) + -iō (suffix forming abstract nouns from verbs). Modulātus is a perfect participle of modulor (“to beat time; to make music or sing; to measure; etc.”), from modulus (“rhythmical measure, interval; rhythm; small interval or measure, etc.”) + -or (suffix forming certain inflections of verbs); and modulus is from modus (“measure; method; etc.”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to measure; etc.”)) + -ulus (diminutive suffix). By surface analysis, modulat(e) + -ion (suffix denoting an action or process, or its result).