mōˈdaləd.ē, -ətē, -i noun
( -es )
Etymology: French modalité, from Middle French, from modal (from Medieval Latin modalis ) + -ité -ity
1.
a. : the quality or state of being modal
the modality of his music
modality of a circle
b. : a modal quality, attribute, or circumstance : form , pattern
as the varying subject matter requires, the narrative and style take on the modalities of comedy, romance, tragedy, or tragicomedy — J.W.Beach
2. : the qualification of logical propositions according to which they are distinguished as asserting or denying the possibility, impossibility, contingency, or necessity of their content — see category 1b
3. : one of the main avenues of sensation (as vision or audition)
4.
a. : any of several agencies used in physical therapy (as diathermy, high-frequency currents, or massage)
b. : an apparatus for applying such agencies
5. : a tendency to conform to a pattern or type
the greater modality of the male in this regard is indicated by a smaller representation of males than females in the category “Miscellaneous” — Eleanor Smith & J.H.Greenberg Monane