I. ˌmodal ˈverb BrE AmE ( also modal ) noun [countable] technical
one of these verb forms: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to, used to, need, had better, and ↑ dare . They are all used with other verbs to express ideas such as possibility, permission, or intention ⇨ auxiliary verb
II. mo ‧ dal 1 /ˈməʊdl $ ˈmoʊdl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
a modal verb
III. modal 2 BrE AmE adjective technical
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Medieval Latin ; Origin: modalis , from Latin modus ; ⇨ ↑ mode ]
1 . [only before noun] modal meanings are concerned with the attitude of the speaker to the hearer or to what is being said
2 . related to or written in a musical ↑ mode (5)
—modality /məʊˈdæləti, məʊˈdælɪti $ moʊ-/ noun [uncountable]