Standard Lemma guide

modulus

noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmɒdjʊləs/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /-dʒʊ-/
  • General-American: /ˈmɑdʒələs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒdjʊləs
  • rhymes with -ɒdʒələs
  • CMU ARPABET: M AO1 JH UW0 L UH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The base with respect to which a congruence is computed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The absolute value of a complex number.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A coefficient that expresses how much of a certain property is possessed by a certain substance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A scalar field controlling the shape and size of extra dimensions in a compactification.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

An operator placed between two numbers, to get the remainder of the division of those numbers.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

(physics) a coefficient that expresses how much of a specified property is possessed by a specified substance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: coefficient

Narrower terms: coefficient of elasticity, modulus of elasticity, elastic modulus

7

noun

Meaning 7

the absolute value of a complex number

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: absolute value, numerical value

8

noun

Meaning 8

an integer that can be divided without remainder into the difference between two other integers

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • 2 is a modulus of 5 and 9

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: integer, whole number

History

Etymology

Learned borrowing from French module as Latin modulus. Doublet of module and mold.

Across languages

Translations

28 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 系数 (xìshù) — base with respect to which a congruence is computed
  • Esperanto: absoluta valoro — base with respect to which a congruence is computed
  • Esperanto: modulo — base with respect to which a congruence is computed
  • Finnish: moduuli — base with respect to which a congruence is computed
  • French: module — base with respect to which a congruence is computed
  • Icelandic: leifastofn — base with respect to which a congruence is computed
  • Polish: wartość bezwzględna — base with respect to which a congruence is computed
  • Polish: moduł — base with respect to which a congruence is computed
  • Russian: мо́дуль (módulʹ) — base with respect to which a congruence is computed
  • Tagalog: kawagsan — base with respect to which a congruence is computed
  • Esperanto: absoluta valoro — absolute value of a complex number
  • Esperanto: modulo — absolute value of a complex number
  • Finnish: itseisarvo — absolute value of a complex number
  • Finnish: moduuli — absolute value of a complex number
  • French: module — absolute value of a complex number
  • Greek: όρισμα (órisma) — absolute value of a complex number
  • Icelandic: lengd — absolute value of a complex number
  • Icelandic: algildi — absolute value of a complex number
  • Icelandic: tölugildi — absolute value of a complex number
  • Polish: moduł — absolute value of a complex number
  • Russian: мо́дуль (módulʹ) — absolute value of a complex number
  • Tagalog: kawagsan — absolute value of a complex number
  • Polish: moduł — coefficient that expresses how much of a certain property is possessed by a certain substance
  • Russian: мо́дуль (módulʹ) — coefficient that expresses how much of a certain property is possessed by a certain substance
  • Spanish: módulo — coefficient that expresses how much of a certain property is possessed by a certain substance
  • Tagalog: litdami — coefficient that expresses how much of a certain property is possessed by a certain substance
  • Finnish: moduuli — computing, programming: type of operator
  • Polish: dzielenie z resztą — computing, programming: type of operator
Real reading context

modulus in complete knowledge articles