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Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 07:00:01 -0800 (PST)
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Subject: modicum: M-W's Word of the Day
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The Word of the Day for January 23 is:

modicum   \MAH-dih-kum or MOE-dih-kum\   (noun)
     : a small portion : a limited quantity

Example sentence:
     Anyone with a modicum of sense will pause to think before
making a major decision.

Did you know?
     What does "modicum" have to do with a toilet? It just so
happens that "modicum" shares the same Latin parent as "commode,"
which is a synonym of "toilet." "Modicum" and "commode"
ultimately derive from the Latin noun "modus," which means
"measure." "Modicum" has been a part of the English language
since the 15th century. It descends from the Latin "modicus"
("moderate"), which is itself a descendant of "modus." (Logically
enough, "modicum" refers to a small "measure" of something.)
"Modus" really measures up as a Latin root -- it also gave us
"mode" (originally a kind of musical "measure"), "modal,"
"model," "modern," "modify," and "modulate." More distant
relatives include "mete," "moderate," and "modest."

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