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Where does the word "mode" come from? It comes from Latin modus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "mode" come from? It comes from Latin modus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Mode’s story begins in Latin: modus meant “measure, manner.” The root of 'model', 'modest' and 'modern'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as mode. French 'à la mode' meant fashionable. It reached English by 1300s as mode. 'mode' in music and statistics came later. Today, mode means a way in which something happens.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient modus "measure, manner", the root of 'model', 'modest' and 'modern'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval mode "fashion, manner", French 'à la mode' meant fashionable.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s mode "manner", 'mode' in music and statistics came later.