modal verb

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   relating to or expressing the mood of a verb

   modal auxiliary

2. 2
   adj

   Requiring immediate user interaction and thus presented so that it cannot be closed or interacted behind until a decision is made.

   Dialogs can be modal, in which case the user is required to provide necessary information before work in the main window can continue, or modeless. Modeless dialogs do not prevent the user from interacting with any of the other windows in the application.

3. 3
   noun

   A modal verb.

   Using the same type of distributional criterion, we could argue that only a Verb (in its base form) can occur in the position marked — in (23) below to complete the sentence: (23) They/it can — [...] Conversely, the only type of word which could be used to begin a three-word sentence such as (25) below: (25) — I be frank? is a Modal: cf. [...]

4. 4
   noun

   A modal window, one that cannot be closed until a decision is made.

   Modal screen elements are subtrees which, when activated, disable all elements external to them. Examples of modals are yes-no message boxes and the application itself.

5. 5
   adj

   of or relating to a musical mode

6. 6
   noun

   an auxiliary verb (such as `can' or `will') that is used to express modality

7. 7
   adj

   relating to or constituting the most frequent value in a distribution

8. 8
   adj

   Of, or relating to a mode or modus.

Etymology

From Middle French modal, from Medieval Latin modālis (“pertaining to a mode”), from Latin modus (“mode”). Compare to French, Spanish, and Portuguese modal and Italian modale. By surface analysis, mod(e) + -al.