# module

Pronunciation: US say "MOJ-ool" /ˈmɑd͡ʒul/; UK say "MOD-yool" /ˈmɒdjuːl/

## Noun

1. A self-contained part of a system, often interchangeable, that connects to the other parts through a well-defined interface.
   - Simple: A separate part of a system that can be swapped out and joins the rest through a fixed connection.
   - _Technicians replaced a faulty module without taking the whole machine apart._
   - _The system was built from interchangeable modules that share the same connectors._
2. A section of a program, consisting of a subroutine or group of related subroutines.
   - Simple: A separate part of a computer program that does one particular job.
   - _She imported the authentication module into her main script._
   - _Each module can be tested on its own before the full program runs._
3. A unit of teaching or study that covers a single topic.
   - Simple: A part of a course that covers one topic.
   - _The biology module covers cell structure and genetics._
   - _Students must complete six modules to earn the certificate._
4. An independent, self-contained section of a spacecraft that can operate on its own.
   - Simple: A separate part of a spacecraft that can work on its own.
   - _Astronauts entered the lunar module before beginning their descent._
   - _The service module separated from the capsule after reentry began._
5. In architecture, a fixed unit of length used as the basis for setting a building's proportions.
   - Simple: A fixed unit of size used to set the proportions of a building.
   - _The temple's dimensions were all expressed in terms of a single module._
   - _Classical builders scaled every part of the facade to the chosen module._
6. A packaged adventure scenario for use in a role-playing game, supplied with the materials needed to run it.
   - Simple: A ready-made adventure, with maps and notes, for a role-playing game.
   - _She bought a classic dungeon module to run for her friends._
   - _Each module comes with maps, monster statistics, and a printed adventure._
7. A file containing a music sequence that can be played back in a tracker program.
   - Simple: A computer file that holds a song you can play in a tracker program.
   - _She composed the whole soundtrack as a tracker module._
   - _Each module bundles the note patterns and the sound samples together._
8. An abelian group whose elements can be multiplied by elements of a ring (or of certain other algebraic objects), generalizing a vector space with scalar multiplication.
   - Simple: In math, a set of things you can add together and also multiply by numbers from another set.
   - _Over a field, a module is exactly a vector space._
   - _Mathematicians study modules to understand how rings act on groups._
9. A fitting on an irrigation channel that regulates the amount of water drawn off from it.
   - Simple: A device that controls how much water flows out of an irrigation channel.
   - _Engineers installed a module to control the flow into each field._
   - _The module keeps the water supply steady even when the canal rises._
10. An element that serves as a building block of a fractal.
   - Simple: A small repeating shape that builds up a fractal.
   - _The fractal is built from a single module repeated at smaller and smaller scales._
   - _Designers vary the module to change the fractal's overall shape._

## Origin

Borrowed from French module, from Latin modulus ("a small measure, measure, mode"), a diminutive of modus ("measure"), which also gave us mode. It is a doublet of modulus and mold.

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