modality

mo·dal·i·ty  (m-dl-t)

n. pl. mo·dal·i·ties

1. The fact, state, or quality of being modal.

2. A tendency to conform to a general pattern or belong to a particular group or category.

3. Logic The classification of propositions on the basis of whether they assert or deny the possibility, impossibility, contingency, or necessity of their content. Also called mode.

4. modalities The ceremonial forms, protocols, or conditions that surround formal agreements or negotiations: "[He] grew so enthusiastic about our prospects that he began to speculate on the modalities of signing" Henry A. Kissinger.

5. Medicine A therapeutic method or agent, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or electrotherapy, that involves the physical treatment of a disorder.

6. Physiology Any of the various types of sensation, such as vision or hearing.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	modality - a classification of propositions on the basis of whether they claim necessity or possibility or impossibility mode logical relation - a relation between propositions
	2.	modality - verb inflections that express how the action or state is conceived by the speaker mood, mode grammatical relation - a linguistic relation established by grammar common mood, declarative, declarative mood, fact mood, indicative, indicative mood - a mood (grammatically unmarked) that represents the act or state as an objective fact subjunctive, subjunctive mood - a mood that represents an act or state (not as a fact but) as contingent or possible optative, optative mood - a mood (as in Greek or Sanskrit) that expresses a wish or hope; expressed in English by modal verbs imperative, imperative form, imperative mood, jussive mood - a mood that expresses an intention to influence the listener's behavior interrogative mood, interrogative - some linguists consider interrogative sentences to constitute a mood
	3.	modality - a particular sense sense modality, sensory system sensory faculty, sentiency, sentience, sense, sensation - the faculty through which the external world is apprehended; "in the dark he had to depend on touch and on his senses of smell and hearing" visual modality, visual sense, vision, sight - the ability to see; the visual faculty somatosense - any of the sensory systems that mediate sensations of pressure and tickle and warmth and cold and vibration and limb position and limb movement and pain audition, auditory modality, auditory sense, sense of hearing, hearing - the ability to hear; the auditory faculty; "his hearing was impaired" gustation, gustatory modality, sense of taste, taste - the faculty of distinguishing sweet, sour, bitter, and salty properties in the mouth; "his cold deprived him of his sense of taste" olfaction, olfactory modality, sense of smell, smell - the faculty that enables us to distinguish scents
	4.	modality - a method of therapy that involves physical or electrical therapeutic treatment treatment, intervention - care provided to improve a situation (especially medical procedures or applications that are intended to relieve illness or injury) diathermy - a method of physical therapy that involves generating local heat in body tissues by high-frequency electromagnetic currents physiatrics, physical therapy, physiotherapy - therapy that uses physical agents: exercise and massage and other modalities