# method

Pronunciation: say "METH-uhd" /ˈmɛθəd/

## Noun

1. A particular way of doing something, especially one that follows a set process for completing a task or reaching a purpose.
   - Simple: A way of doing something to finish a task or reach a goal.
   - _The lab adopted a faster method for analyzing soil samples._
   - _Different cultures developed their own methods of preserving food through the winter._
2. An acting technique, based on Stanislavski's ideas, in which the performer authentically experiences the inner life of the character being portrayed.
   - Simple: A style of acting where the actor truly feels the character's emotions.
   - _She trained in the method for years before landing her breakout role._
   - _Critics praised his use of the method to inhabit such a troubled character._
3. A subroutine or function that belongs to a class or object, usually operating on its data.
   - Simple: A piece of code that belongs to a class or object and performs a particular task.
   - _The class defines a method for validating user input before saving._
   - _She overrode the parent class's method to change how the object behaved._
4. Orderliness and systematic intention in how something is done; the quality of acting with purpose rather than at random.
   - Simple: A clear, orderly way of doing things instead of acting at random.
   - _Behind the apparent chaos of the workshop, there was genuine method._
   - _He brought method and discipline to a team that had worked haphazardly for years._
5. An instruction book whose material is systematically arranged, especially for learning a musical instrument or skill.
   - Simple: A teaching book with lessons set out in a clear, fixed order.
   - _He worked through a classic violin method page by page._
   - _Her grandfather's old clarinet method, a worn book of graded exercises, still sat on the music stand._

## Verb

6. To apply a method to something, treating it according to a set procedure. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To deal with something by using a set, ordered way of doing it.

## Other meanings

- (verb) In metal casting, to plan the mold arrangements for a casting, especially its feeding and gating systems.
- (noun) Ellipsis of method air.
- (noun) Marijuana, particularly the dried form smoked recreationally.

## Origin

This word comes through Middle French methode from Latin methodus, which itself derives from Ancient Greek μέθοδος (méthodos).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/method (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).