Word
modicum
Phoneticsmod·icum
US/ˈmɑdɪkəm/
UK/mˈɒdɪkəm/
Definition
n. a small amount of something, especially when you need it to be enough. You use it when you want to say that even a little bit of something is helpful.
n. a small but sufficient amount of something. Often used in the phrase 'a modicum of' to indicate that even a minimal quantity is adequate for a purpose.
Examples
“The team needs a modicum of respect to work well.”
“The manager offered a modicum of support, though it was clear he was more interested in the project's success than the team's well-being.”
“While the initial proposal lacked the necessary detail, it provided a modicum of clarity that allowed the committee to begin the preliminary stages of the review process.”
Examples
simple
“The team needs a modicum of respect to work well.”
contextual
“The manager offered a modicum of support, though it was clear he was more interested in the project's success than the team's well-being.”
complex
“While the initial proposal lacked the necessary detail, it provided a modicum of clarity that allowed the committee to begin the preliminary stages of the review process.”
Real-World Examples
“The second reason is that, if I may be permitted to speak for Canadians in general, we, like anyone else, enjoy having a modicum of self-respect.” “In reality, she allowed her cooks a modicum of freedom in the kitchen they shared.” Etymology
From Middle English modicum, from Latin modicum (“a little, a small amount”), a noun use of the neuter form of modicus (“moderate; restrained, temperate; reasonable”) + -cum (suffix forming neuter nouns). Modicus is derived from modus (“a measure; a bound, limit”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to measure”)) + -icus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). The plural form modica is derived from Latin modica.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/modicum