modal
modal
adjective
/ˈməʊdl/
(grammar)
​connected with the class of verbs such as can, may or will that are used with other verbs (not modals) to express possibility, permission, intention, etc.
COMPARE auxiliary
modal
noun
/ˈməʊdl/
(also modal verb, modal auxiliary, modal auxiliary verb)
(grammar)
​a verb such as can, may or will that is used with another verb (not a modal) to express possibility, permission, intention, etc.
Grammar Point modal verbs
TOPICS Language A2
Word Origin
mid 16th cent.: from medieval Latin modalis, from Latin modus ‘measure’, from an Indo-European root shared by mete; compare with mood in its grammatical sense.