I. ˈmä(ˌ)jül noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin modulus small measure, meter, module in architecture, from modus measure + -ulus — more at mete
1.
a. archaic : something that serves as a model or pattern : exemplar
the text module is a sentence from … Thoreau — William Beebe
b. obsolete : a counterfeit image
but a clod and module of confounded royalty — Shakespeare
2. : a standard or unit of measurement
3.
a.
[French, from Latin modulus ]
: the size of some one part (as the diameter or semidiameter of the base of a shaft) taken as a unit of measure by which the proportions of the other parts of a classical or nonclassical architectural composition are regulated
b. : a unit of size used as a basis for standardizing the design and construction of building parts and materials or articles of furniture
use of dimensional coordination on the four-inch module — R.T.Liddicoat
fabricated for assembly on a 2-foot module — S.D.Sturgis
4.
a. : a device used for measuring the flow of water or for delivering a fixed volume of water (as in irrigation systems)
b. : the volume discharged by such a device
5. : the diameter of a coin, token, or medal
6. : a ratio equal to the pitch diameter of a gear in millimeters divided by the number of teeth in the gear
II. noun
1. : any in a series of standardized units for use together: as
a. : a unit of furniture or architecture
b. : an educational or instructional unit which covers a single subject or a discrete part of a broad subject
2. : an assembly of components that are packaged or mounted together and constitute a functional unit for an electronic or mechanical system
a module for a computer
3. : an independent unit that constitutes a part of the total structure of a space vehicle
a propulsion module
4.
a. : a subset of an additive group that is also a group under addition
b. : a mathematical set that is a commutative group under addition and that is closed under multiplication which is distributive from the left or right or both by elements of a ring and for which a ( bx ) = ( ab ) x or ( xb ) a = x ( ba ) or both where a and b are elements of the ring and x belongs to the set
5. : a usually semi-independent routine in a computer program that usually corresponds to one step in the solution of the problem the program was designed to solve